Bonds
by yaoifangrl4ever
Summary: Voldemort realizes that there is an easy way to end the war without him losing face and thus, he visits the Potters to propose a deal. Unsurprisingly enough, this ends rather badly and he is forced to flee, being badly wounded. How will our favourite Golden Boy deal with conflicting values, betrayal and finding a family in a place that seemed most unlikely? LVHP, marriage fic.
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone!

How long has it been since I last updated/wrote anything!? Like 5 years!? Ridiculous... Anywho... The one who pulled me out of my writing hiatus was SinoPrisca, who came up with this great idea for a story. I just couldn't not write it, you know? But enough of my ramblings...

**Summary**: Voldemort realizes that there is an easy way to end the war without him losing face and thus, he visits the Potters to propose a deal. Unsurprisingly enough, this ends rather badly and he is forced to flee, being badly wounded. Harry is brought up with the Dursleys, but Lucius and Severus are looking for the young boy to prepare him for the inevitable day when the Dark Lord will rise again. How will our favourite Golden Boy deal with conflicting values, betrayal and finding a family in a place that seemed most unlikely?

Warnings: Dumbledore, Ron and Hermione bashing, LVHP, strong language, violence, sex and various other shenanigans that belong within the M-rating.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even the idea for this story! So don't sue!

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Voldemort was standing in front of a slowly dying fire, his eyes fixed on the glowing embers. A narrow line had formed between his non-existing eyebrows and if you looked carefully, you could see one of his fingers impatiently tapping against the back of a dark green armchair next to him. It was obvious that the wizard was deep in thought and that the topic currently occupying his mind was one that he found quite troubling.

With an impatient sound, Voldemort spun around and walked over to his desk, flicking through a pile of papers lying there. He quickly found what he was looking for, red eyes skimming the page before folding it up and putting it in a pocket. Glancing towards a door on the far side of the room, he paused, grinned slightly and disapparated.

James Potter was leaning against the wall of his living room while observing his wife and one year old son playing on the carpet. Lily's red hair was splayed over the cream-coloured fabric and Harry was joyfully trying to create as many tangles in it as humanly possible. The toddler's pudgy fingers were clumsily carding through her hair, but Lily didn't seem to mind at all, choosing rather to send loving smiles to both her husband and her son. James still had trouble believing that this was his life, that the woman he had been in love with during his years at Hogwarts, had accepted his proposal and that they now had a son together, a son that seemed a perfect mix between the two of them with his dark raven black hair and her startling emerald eyes. Yes, he was truly lucky to have the family he had always wanted.

With a sudden burst of energy, James pushed away from the wall and grabbed Harry around the waist, lifting him high in the air. The child squealed happily and Lily laughed at the sight of them twirling around in circles before James dropped down on the couch, Harry carefully nestled to his chest. The redhead sat up, stretched and walked over to the kitchen, returning with a small plate of candy she had bought earlier that day. After all, no All Hallows' Eve would be the same without something sweet to nibble on.

Putting the plate on the coffee table, she sat down next to James and playfully ruffled his already unruly hair.

'Careful so you don't drop him, he's far more delicate than the snitches you used to play around with at Hogwarts, you know?'

James huffed and sent her an incredulous stare, albeit with a tinkle of amusement playing in his eyes.

'As if I would ever drop something! I wasn't a Seeker for nothing, throw something in the air and I will catch it without fail.' With that, he carefully placed Harry in the corner of the couch and, in one fluid movement, grabbed Lily and spun her around, delighting in the startled gasp and surprised laughter she made. He quickly put her down and kissed her lightly on the nose.

'You see? I never drop anything'

Lily huffed and picked Harry up. 'Oh, you're such a show-off, James! However do I suffer through your antics, I'll never know!' However, the small smile playing with the corners of her lips betrayed her words.

'I'll be right back, just going to put Harry to sleep. It's way past his bedtime already'

James didn't reply, but chose to pay more attention to the sweets instead. Lily shook her head in amusement before heading towards the stairs.

A small knock on the front door made her stop and listen, eyes narrowed in confusion. No one was supposed to visit them this evening and because of the Fidelius charm, there was no way that one of the village children had found the house and decided to try to get some more candy in their baskets. Before Lily had time to call out to James, the door was opened and a cloaked figure strode in and stopped when it saw the mother and child halfway up the stairs.

James had heard the sound of the door opening and came running to see what had happened. At first, he didn't see the figure, as he was focusing on his wife, but then he turned to see what she was staring so horrified at and all his training as an Auror kicked in.

'Lily, take Harry and run! I'll hold him off!' he screamed and lifted his wand to defend his family. However, before he could react, the other had disarmed him without even using his wand and thick ropes appeared out of nowhere, entangling both James and Lily's legs, making it impossible for them to move.

'Now now, don't be so hasty. Though your heroism is commendable, I don't have time for such foolish acts of bravery. What I need from you, is that you both keep quite and listen to what I have to say' With that, a pale hand rose to pull the hood back and the trademark red eyes and the slits that were where a nose should have been appeared, removing any doubt of who their guest was.

Lily snarled and pressed her child closer to her chest. 'And what makes you think that we are going to listen to what you have to say, you monster? Albus would be aware of it the second someone broke the ward around this house, he'll be here in minutes, along with the rest of the Order.' James nodded in agreement while trying to free himself of the bonds that kept him in place.

Voldemort sighed and the corner of his eye twitched slightly, as if trying to hide his annoyance with the two in front of him.

'Look, I'm not here to waste my time arguing. Believe it or not, I have many other things I'd rather do with my time. The reason I am here is to propose a deal, a deal which I think you'd do well to consider.'

'And why should we want to make any sort of deal with your kind, Voldemort?' James spat with barely controlled anger. 'You have shown time and time again that your side is only after one thing: pureblood supremacy and the extermination of muggles and muggleborn. There is simply no way that we will ever agree to collaborate on anything you would propose.'

'You seem to be forgetting that I have the upper hand at the moment and if you would keep your mouth shut for once and listen, this will be a much more comfortable experience for both of you. Or do I have to force you to listen? I promise you, that will be a decision you will come to regret.' With that, Voldemort reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a roll of parchment.

'This is what I propose; this piece of parchment is a peace treaty. I will cease my attacks on both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds if you accept my conditions.' When James opened his mouth to protest, he quickly added 'oh, and don't worry, I'm not after any of your lives. If you accept my offer of peace, all of you will be able to go back to whatever mundane lives you lead and all your friends' lives will be spared. It's quite simple, to be honest.'

Without another word, he walked up to James and handed the parchment to him. With a moment's hesitation and a wary glance at the other wizard, he took it and quickly opened it. His eyes scanned the page and they seemed to grow wider and more incredulous for every line he read. With a stunned expression, he looked over at Lily and Harry, meeting Lily's confused eyes for a second. 'What is the meaning of this? You must be sicker than we ever imagined' he whispered, his voice failing him a little. Voldemort didn't seem to react, he kept watching the other, though with growing signs of impatience.

'What is it, James? What is he after? I don't understand, what is his goal, his purpose in proposing this peace treaty?' Lily begged her husband. Her arms had inadvertently tightened their hold around Harry and the child started crying as her hold on him became almost painful. The sound seemed to draw Voldemort's attention as he turned around and his eyes fixed on Harry's small form.

'What your husband seems to be unable to comprehend is in reality quite simple. In exchange for peace, I want a union between the Light and Dark side. Someone with a magic core strong enough not to be devoured by my own. As you should be aware of, a magical union is something so much more than just a legal document or agreement – it is something that unites the magic of two people and thus should not be treated lightly. The way the Light has chosen to disregard all the old laws is simply moronic, marriages based on love is all nice and romantic on paper, but in actuality it's detrimental to the formation of a strong magical core. If the two people who undergo such a union doesn't have compatible magical cores, one will inevitably become the victim of the other's stronger magic. All too often have we seen marriages where the weaker witch or wizard is killed as a result of incompatible partners.'

Lily looked confused, but also wary. 'What are you getting at, Voldemort? What is it you're trying to say?' Before the wizard had time to answer, James bit him off and with a pained expression on his face, he turned to his wife and whispered 'He wants Harry, Lily. What he is after is a magical contract stating that Harry will marry him when he comes of age and that our son will be brought up learning about the old pureblood traditions so as to be the perfect spouse of the Dark Lord.'

Before Lily had time to react, a series of loud cracks sounded outside the house and a few seconds later, four people rushed inside, Albus Dumbledore in the lead. Behind him were Molly and Arthur Weasley as well as Sirius Black. Without a single word, Dumbledore fired a curse at Voldemort, who quickly stepped aside and wordlessly shot a beam of red light at the bearded man. Molly quickly ran up the few steps to reach Lily and cut the bonds tying her in place. Sirius had managed to get to James and free him as well and they were both shooting curses and hexes at the Dark Lord, who seemingly had no trouble standing his ground faced with his opponents.

An annoyed glare had appeared on his face as he fired yet another painful, but non-lethal curse at Dumbledore and at the same time kept his shield up to defend himself against the hexes thrown at him from the two Marauders.

'What are you trying to accomplish, Tom?' Dumbledore shouted, trying to break the shield surrounding the other. 'What is your purpose in coming here?'

'I was in the process of explaining that to Potter right before you came barging in that door. If you'd had the decency to wait and listen, then you would've known.' Voldemort sneered. 'But luckily for you, I have made a written proposal, it shouldn't be too hard to comprehend what I want to achieve by coming here.' With those words, he picked up the parchment James had dropped when Sirius freed him and threw it to the older man. Dumbledore grabbed it, but had no chance of reading it, as Voldemort seemed to have tired of keeping the other wizards at bay and he had started throwing hexes at them continuously while slowly making his way towards the entrance door. When both Sirius and James realized that their enemy was slowly slipping from their grasp, they quickly glanced over at each other and nodded solemnly. Lily, who was watching it all from the stairs, gasped as she recognized the expression on their faces. Fierce determination had replaced the anger and shock that had been there previously and it barely took seconds for her to understand what they were planning. Without thinking, she thrust Harry into the arms of Molly Weasley and ran down the stairs at the same moment James and Sirius charged at Voldemort.

When the two Weasleys and Sirius told of that night several years later, they could only remember it as a blur. Everything happened way too quickly, but what they did recall was how James had fired a curse at the same time Voldemort turned towards Dumbledore to defend himself against a vicious fire hex the headmaster had sent his way. Because of this, Voldemort was partly defenceless and James' curse hit his arm, making him spin around and wandlessly fire a Avada Kedavra directed at the man's chest. The spell hit him directly and Sirius could still remember, years later, how his friend's face had seemed frozen in shock and startled confusion.

Lily, who had almost reached the two men, stopped dead in her tracks as she saw her husband's lifeless form hit the floor. She screamed, first from the sheer emotional pain and turmoil, but then from anger. Red hair seemed to glow as she, with one final glance at James' body, turned around and charged at Voldemort in an almost mindless rage. Pain, anger, shock, panic, the desperate need to protect her family – they all mixed together in her mind and made her focus on one single task. To destroy the one who had come in and broken her small family apart.

Unfortunately, Voldemort saw her attack coming and, with one fluid motion, directed his wand at her and, with an emotion in his eyes that seemed to be regret, whispered the Killing curse. Emerald eyes widened, then went cold and lifeless. Lily's body fell and Sirius quickly grabbed her before she hit the ground. In the confusion, Voldemort, tightly clutching his injured arm, disappeared out the door and disapparated.

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Soooo, how was that for the first chapter in 5 years? Like it, hate it? Leave me a review and tell me! And flamers; don't even bother. Just read the warnings, if you keep reading, you're a bloody idiot.

And thanks to SinoPrisca once again for the lovely request! Looking forward to play around with this story :)


	2. Chapter 2

Aaand here I am again! Geez, I'm getting so much inspiration for this story, the plot bunnies are running rampant!

Thank you all SO much for the reviews! It's so much fun reading them all! If you have any ideas/constructive criticism, please tell me!

Also, I'm going to be ignoring most of the books, as you can see, even the meeting with Dobby is different than in the book, though I did have some similar elements. The reason for this is that for this story to work, Harry needs to be quite young. I'll say no more or I'll be giving away too much, but I promise you it will be interesting!

Disclaimer: I own nothing. You all should know that by now...

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Lying on his back on the rather uncomfortable bed, Harry was thinking. The room around him seemed so cold and uninviting, with its bare walls and Spartan furnishing, compared to his dormitory in Hogwarts. It was only last year that he had finally found out the truth about himself, about how everything he used to believe was a lie and that his true place was in the castle, with its moving stairs, ghosts, living portraits and everything else. Most of all, he had friends. Ron and Hermione had been there almost from the first day and he missed them sorely.

'However, it doesn't seem like they miss me terribly much' he thought darkly and he turned over on his side. There had been no word from his two best friends since the start of the summer vacation and even now, with his birthday coming up, no letter had arrived. With a sigh, Harry got up from the bed and walked over to his desk where Hedwig's cage was placed. The owl bristled a bit, but let him stroke her soft, white feathers. He could hardly blame her for being frustrated. Uncle Vernon had forbidden any attempt at letting her out of her cage. Harry was just about to sit down when a sudden sound made him spin around. His eyes went nearly as big as those of the creature standing in front of the bedroom door.

'Who… What…?' he started, but the creature cut him off. 'Harry Potter, sir! Please, Dobby was not intending to intrude on Master's privacy! Dobby needs to tell Master something, which is why Dobby is so rudely appearing without any notice whatsoever!' The creature's eyes went even wider and it wrung its hands in what seemed to be a worn pillowcase.

'Umm… Don't worry about it?' Harry stammered, unsure of whether to treat the creature, Dobby, as if he had expected him to show up or if he should voice his confusion and ask what the hell was going on. Frankly, he was leaning towards the latter.

Dobby seemed encouraged by the fact that Harry hadn't immediately started shouting at him, because his face broke in a big grin and he proceeded to nod several times, as if thankful for the fact that he hadn't been punished yet.

'You see, Master Harry Potter, sir' Dobby started 'there is something that Master needs to know! Something he needs to know before returning to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!' Green eyes were pleadingly looking at Harry with such earnestness that the black-haired boy had no choice but to listen.

'Okay, I guess? So what is it that I need to know? Are you coming from Hogwarts, from Dumbledore?' Suddenly, he realized that this strange creature might have been some sort of new way of informing the students about the coming school year. You never knew with the magical world, after all. Everything was possible.

'No, Dobby is not coming from Master Albus Dumbledore, sir.' Dobby said and anxiously moved from one foot to another. Remembering his manners, Harry pointed at the bed. 'Please sit down.'

The little creature looked at him in what appeared to be shock before big, fat tears started streaming down his cheeks. 'M-m-master asked Dobby to s-s-s-it?' he pressed out between increasingly loud sobs. 'A-a-a-s an e-e-e-qual?'

Not understanding the other's reaction, Harry nodded uncomfortably, while shooting wary glances at the door. Luckily for him, the Dursleys had all gone out for the evening because of some sort of social Uncle Vernon had been invited to, along with his family. Harry was, of course, never included in this invitation. Not that he had wanted to go anyway.

'Yes, is there any reason why I shouldn't? Please, sit down. It would be easier and more comfortable for you to tell your story if you do.' The teen pressed on and Dobby slowly inched his way over to the bed with wobbly steps, as if his knees were shaking too hard for him to walk properly. When the strange figure was finally perched on the outermost edge of his mattress, Harry decided to see if he could find out more about his guest.

'So, before you start, could you tell me a bit about… you know… What you are?' he hurriedly added 'not to sound mean or anything, but… what exactly are you?'

To his surprise, Dobby looked up and smiled at him, seemingly relieved at the question. 'That was partly what Dobby was intending to do, Master!' he smiled and a row of quite uneven teeth was revealed. 'Dobby is a house-elf, Master. Someone who serves a magical household and stays with that family for the rest of his or her life.'

Harry furrowed his brow. 'So, does that mean that you came from one of the magical families, then?' suddenly gripped with hope, he asked 'Are you perhaps from the Weasleys? Have they sent you here to pick me up?' His hopes were quickly dispelled, however, when the house-elf furiously shook its head.

'No, Master Harry Potter, sir! Not from the Weasley, oh no! No, Dobby is from a much, much more important family!' he said with something akin to awe in his voice. 'Dobby is serving the Malfoy family line, Master!'

Now Harry's hope changed into suspicion. 'What do the Malfoys want with me? Have Draco sent you here to spy on me, to bother the oh-so-special Boy Who Lived even during summer?' Even Harry was surprised at how spiteful his tone of voice was, almost as if he secretly wished just a little bit of that might've been true. After all, every contact with the magical world seemed precious to him right now. And it was more than he had gotten from either of his friends. How ironic, he thought, that the only contact he got from the Wizarding world was from the one family who hated his guts more than anything.

His curiosity was spiked, however, when Dobby's eyes widened in shock and the little creature frantically shook its head. 'Oh no! No, Master Draco would not do that, Master Harry Potter, sir! No, Dobby has come here to give Master important information about the magical world!' he said breathlessly, as if the thought of any of the Malfoys doing something so base as spying on someone shocked him more than anything. 'Master asked Dobby what he was and Dobby is going to tell Master about house-elves now, sir!'

Harry couldn't deny that he was infinitely curious as to what the elf had to tell him. Despite living in the magical world for one year, he still felt horribly out of touch with that world, as if everyone knew much more than him. Because of that, every little piece of information was welcome to him and he leaned forward, elbows on his knees, and motioned for Dobby to continue talking.

Encouraged by this, Dobby carefully laid folded his hands and put them in his lap, as if considering how to best start the story. A few seconds later, he cleared his throat and started. 'What Master needs to know, is that house-elves are not good creatures. Oh no, sir, house-elves are bad, very naughty indeed. The reason we all look like this' at this he made a little motion with his hand that seemed to point at the entirety of his body at once, 'is because of our punishment. Our people have a deal with the folks of the Wizarding world and if anyone does anything bad, they are transformed into little elvses and made to serve a magical family.'

Now Harry was utterly confused. 'Transformed', 'our people', 'serve'? What did that all mean? 'I don't understand, what do you mean 'our people'?' the boy asked with a furrowed brow. He had just assumed Dobby and other house-elves were just another magical race like centaurs or garden gnomes, but from his words, it seemed like they were actually something else entirely.

'House-elves were elves at one point, Master Harry Potter, sir! Beautiful, elegant, wise. But sometimes, even the wisest elf does something he or she shouldn't have and they are punished by being given this ugly form and made to serve a magical household.' Dobby nodded seriously, as if he full-heartedly approved of this sentence.

'But' Harry started 'that's horrible! You're basically being treated as slaves!' Dobby gave him a look that was hard to decipher before he, without a word, disappeared with a loud 'crack'. The black-haired boy was left with his mouth half-open, as if to protest, but now silence once again descended upon the house and Harry sighed, realizing that his guest had gone. He still had so many questions, such as why the Malfoys would send their house-elf to him to explain just what a house-elf was and nothing more. Was this just a petty prank of Draco's or did Dobby tell the truth? If Hermione had been there, she could probably have told him all about it, but she wasn't, so Harry was left brooding over these unanswered questions for the rest of the afternoon and he eventually fell into an uncomfortable sleep filled with dreams of big, golf-ball sized eyes and whispered words that he didn't quite hear.

The next morning, Harry was making some bacon and eggs for Dudley as usual, when the silence was broken by a sharp knock on the kitchen window and when Petunia pulled the curtain aside to find out where it came from, she screamed as golden eyes stared back at her.

'One of those owls again! I'm not going to tolerate it, you hear me?' she screeched at Harry as the young boy opened the window to let the bird in. While ignoring his aunt's loud complaints, he untied the letter tied to the owl's leg and gave it a few pieces of bread as thanks. With a self-important flap of its wings, the owl disappeared out the window as suddenly as it had arrived. Having learnt his lesson of opening letters at the kitchen table, Harry stealthily slid the letter under his oversized T-shirt and secured it by tucking it into the hem of his pants. Luckily, no one seemed to notice as Petunia was still wailing about birds invading her house and Dudley was complaining about not having gotten breakfast yet. Vernon had left the house early that morning because of a meeting, so Harry didn't have to worry about him.

As punishment for his contact with 'his people', as his aunt had termed it, Harry was sentenced to mow the lawn, paint the fence, do the dishes and weed the flowerbeds. It took him most of the day, because Petunia kept finding small faults with whatever he was doing and thus made him do them all over again. When he finally was admitted into the house again, he grabbed a piece of slightly stale bread and quickly made his way up to his room. The moment he was safely inside Harry locked the door, grabbed the letter from where it had been hiding all day and walked over to the bed to sit down. Examining the envelope, he saw the seal belonging to the Ministry of Magic and Harry groaned inwardly. He quickly broke it and pulled out the piece of parchment inside.

His eyes scanned words written in mint green ink and he could feel himself gaping stupidly as he reached the bottom of the letter. Reading it over once more, a bit more slowly now, as if hoping he had misread something, Harry mumbled the words out loud for himself.

_Dear mister Harry Potter_

_It has come to our attention that there had been a change in who is your magical guardian. As you are currently underage you are required to have a person belonging to the Wizarding world as your legal guardian. Because of recently uncovered matters, Albus Dumbledore, your previous guardian, has been deemed unfit to retain this position by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and the Wizengamot._

_Fortunately, Lucius Malfoy volunteered to become your new magical guardian and it is this department's belief that Mr Malfoy will prove to be an outstanding guardian for you, as he has several connections in the Wizarding world as well as the social standing to provide an excellent future career for you, Mr Potter. _

_Because of your peculiar standing in our world, it has been decided that you be moved from your current home with Mr and Mrs Dursley to take up permanent residence in Malfoy manor during your vacations away from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An official from the ministry will accompany you to the manor at 9am tomorrow morning. All your belongings will be magically transported, so there will be no need to worry about packing. _

_Have a nice day and the best of luck_

_Miss Amelia Bones_

_The Department of Magical Law Enforcement _

The letter slipped from his suddenly limp fingers and hit the floor with a soft 'thud'. So this was the reason why Dobby had visited him? To prepare him for a future life as one trapped inside the walls of the manor? Harry had no idea why Lucius Malfoy of all people would want to take him up as a ward, but judging from the rumours about the man, it could hardly be because of his gentle heart and caring nature.

Putting his head in his hands, Harry closed his eyes tightly. Dumbledore was deemed unfit to be his guardian? Just what had happened to make the old man lose standing within the ministry? Now Harry was regretting not paying more attention to Hermione when she had lectured Ron and himself on the internal happenings of the ministry and who was in charge of what. Maybe he would've had a better chance of understanding it all or maybe even contesting the claim Malfoy had put on having custody over him. Also, why was it suddenly necessary to move him from Privet Drive? Not that he wasn't happy that he didn't have to spend more time in his uncle's house, but why not earlier? Had something come to light that made further living in the muggle world impossible?

The questions seemed impossible to answer, at least for the moment. Chewing his lip, Harry got up from his bed and sat down in front of his desk, grabbing a quill and some paper. 'If I can't answer these questions, perhaps Hermione or Ron can.' he decided and quickly scribbled down a few lines.

_Dear Hermione and Ron, if you're there_

_I'm not sure what's going on, but it seems like Malfoy Sr. has become my magical guardian and that Dumbledore has been deemed 'unfit'. Do any of you know what's behind this? Did Malfoy trick the Wizengamot or something to accomplish this? _

_I haven't heard from you at all this summer so I'm assuming you're in a position where you can't really speak, but please try to get in touch! Use Hedwig, she knows where to find me. _

_Lots of love_

_Harry_

With that, Harry folded up the letter and tied it to Hedwig's foot. He had managed to steal the key to her cage when no one was looking and now it proved to come in handy. Opening the window, trying not to make a sound, Harry carefully stroked the white feathers of the bird in his arms. 'Be careful, girl. Try to make them reply quickly and come back to me as soon as you can! Merlin knows I could probably need a friendly face where I'm going…'

With that, he stretched his arm out and Hedwig flapped her wings and soared out into the night air, seemingly delighted to be flying again. With a sigh, Harry turned around and walked over to his bed. Why all this happened to him, he would never know. Lying down, he stared up at the roof. 'I'm probably not going to be able to sleep at all tonight' he thought dejectedly, but only a few minutes later his eyes started drifting shut and his breath evened. The last thought that went through his head was 'Well, at least I'll have plenty of opportunities to prank Malfoy if I'm living in the same house as him.'

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And there you have the second chapter! I like keeping them short, as it makes me update faster and it's easier to sort of thoughts and ideas for what I want to do next :)

The coming days I'll be quite busy with real life, but I'll try to update as fast as I can! Hopefully, it shouldn't take more than a week, though I can't promise anything... Rreviews always make me want to write though... *hint hint*


	3. Chapter 3

Hi again, my dears!

So sorry for the delay in updating! Life has been horribly busy the last week. Basically, I've moved my entire life into a new apartment and I just got back to Norway to visit my family for the summer vacation, which proved to be more stressfull than I thought it would be. Hopefully this chapter will make it up to you!

Some people wondered about just what history lies behind Dobby and the other house-elves, so I've tried clearing this up in the new chapter. It's not a major part of the story, but is supposed to be a twist on just what house-elves are and why they serve magical families.

Also, to clear things up: Harry is about to start his second year at Hogwarts. This is why he might seem a bit too okay with the fact that Malfoy has become his magical guardian. Basically, he has yet to build up any strong antipathies towards Malfoy and though he is suspicious of the Dark side, he doesn't hate them yet. Voldemort is definitely not in his good books, the man killed his parents after all, but remember that Harry doesn't know the backstory to it, only that his parents are dead because of him.

So, thank you all for the reviews and let's get on with the stories!

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He was woken up the next morning by the sun shining through his window and hitting him right in the face. Sighing, Harry tiredly rubbed his eyes and let them wander around the room for a few minutes to let him clear his head. For some reason, it felt like he had something important to do that day, as if something out of the ordinary was to happen. With a start, he remembered all the events from the day before and he groaned into his pillow. It took a force of will to just get up from his bed and walk over to his desk to re-read the letter from the Ministry again.

It was just as depressing as he remembered it being, there were just too many unanswerable questions, too many loose ends. Harry couldn't see how he'd be able to get any answers by himself. 'An official will pick me up…?' he thought to himself. 'I wonder who they'll send? Probably someone deep in the pockets of Malfoy Sr.' With yet another sigh and a yawn, the boy headed over to the door with the intent to make himself some breakfast before he had to face what would inevitably be a horrible and trying day. However, it would seem like Fortune was not on his good side that morning, as the person standing in the kitchen when he came in, with a slight sneer and a disgusted look on his face, was Professor Severus Snape.

'P-professor?' Harry stammered and stopped dead in his tracks. 'What are you doing here?' The greasy-haired man directed sharp, hawk-like eyes in his direction and his sneer grew slightly more pronounced. 'It's not like I chose to come here because I wanted to, boy. I'm here because the headmaster convinced the Ministry to send me as the one to accompany you to your new home. I can assure you, I was most opposed to this decision, but even I can't go again the Minister's orders.' The tone of his voice was ice-cold and Harry was surprised to feel a bit of sympathy for the man. Having to be the errand boy of the two most powerful men in the Wizarding world could hardly be fun, especially when those two men seemed to be on not-too-friendly terms.

'I don't understand, I thought headmaster Dumbledore was deemed 'unsuitable' to be my guardian? How does he still have a say in who comes to pick me up?' Harry asked, hoping to get some answers out of the dour potions master.

'Don't think that, just because he has been rejected as your legal guardian, Albus Dumbledore has no power within the Ministry anymore' Snape said, while managing to look horribly bored while doing so, directing a rather nasty glare towards aunt Petunia's spotless kitchen table, as if taking his anger out on the innocent piece of furniture. 'Oh no, the headmaster is still a member of the Wizengamot, though time will tell for how long.'

His words surprised Harry. He had always seen Snape as Dumbledore's man, however reluctant he might pretend to be. He thought with shame how he had suspected the potions master to be the one searching for the Philosopher's Stone last year, when at the end, it turned out the man had tried to protect him all along.

'What do you mean, sir? Will Dumbledore lose his place in the Wizengamot? Just what happened that made him lose his guardianship over me?' the tone of his voice was almost desperate, but at this point, Harry didn't care. Something was being hidden from him and he wanted to know what.

'You will know in due time. I suspect Lucius will want to tell you all about it. Until then, do stay quiet and hurry up. That way this will be over much quicker, which I'm sure will be a relief to us both.' Harry bit his lip to prevent himself from firing even more questions at the older man. Something told him that waiting for Malfoy to tell him everything was worth waiting for and somehow, Harry didn't mind going to Malfoy Manor as much anymore. What had been a symbol of being trapped in a house full of people who hated him had now turned into a source of answers, a way to gain some background information to the whole bloody mess he had somehow been entangled in.

Severus shot another distasteful look at his immediate surroundings, before he grabbed onto Harry's shoulder. 'I'm going to apparate us to Malfoy Manor now. If you stay still, this will go relatively painless.' Harry resisted the urge to gulp audibly at the faintly threatening sound of that and made sure to stay completely still. He had no idea what 'apparition' was, but assumed it had something to do with teleporting. Once again he cursed himself for not reading more about the magical world. After all, his one year at Hogwarts would have provided plenty of time for following Hermione's reading advice.

Just as Snape looked ready to depart, Uncle Vernon appeared in the doorway. Both parties froze as their eyes locked, but then Vernon's face grew an ugly shade of magenta at rapid speed and his already small eyes narrowed so as to form tiny slits in his round face.

'Boy! What is the meaning of this?! Why have your brought one of-of your kind into my house!?' he screamed. Harry winced slightly and Snape shot him a curious glance as he noticed the slight movement as he still had his hand on the boy's shoulder. Before Harry could answer, the potions master spoke up and saved him from having to confront his uncle.

'Mr Dursley, I presume?' the professor drawled. 'Mr Potter has been relocated to another house and will be living there from this point onwards. He will no longer be expected to spend any amount of time in your house from now on. Meaning, he won't bring any of 'his kind' into your house either.' The last sentence was spoken in the most icy tone the man could muster and both Harry and Vernon seemed to shrink a little, though Vernon more than Harry as the boy was used to this rather unfriendly treatment.

However, the fat man quickly regained his composure and a greedy glint appeared in his eyes. 'And what about the money?' he asked, the tone of his voice demanding. 'That headmaster of the school he goes to has been paying us to take care of him all these years. There is no way I'm going to just sit back and watch a rather nice income get snatched away from under my nose.'

His words hit Harry like a ton of bricks and he felt his knees grow week. What did he mean 'paying them'? Dumbledore had said they had taken him in of their own decision, however reluctantly. No one had mentioned anything about payment? The thought made him sick. He felt used, like a sack of potatoes dragged from one place to another. No one wanted him, the only reason why the Dursleys had let him stay in their home was because providing a roof over his head provided them with money. Though he certainly hadn't liked it in his aunt and uncle's home, he had always thought that they must've had a slight lingering feeling of responsibility for him, as he was Petunia's sister's son. But no, even that was a lie. How much could he believe, how much could he have faith was true?

Severus sensed how the boy seemed to sag under the pressure of the newly acquired knowledge. With a quick jerk with his hand, he pulled Harry upwards again as his knees seemed to have given out under him. 'Well, I can tell you that the headmaster has been deemed… unfit for further responsibility towards Mr Potter and that you can contact Lucius Malfoy if you have any matters you wish to discuss. However, you will probably rot in your grave before he will provide you with any money. I hardly believe you earned it, judging by how the boy looks.'

Harry grew slightly self-conscious and shuffled his feet. It was true that he was skinny and rather too short for his age, his relatives had preferred to keep him undernourished, as Vernon believed it would make him work harder. He was brought out of his musings when Snape tightened his hold on his shoulder and Harry suddenly felt like he was being squeezed through a tight tube. He landed rather inelegantly next to Snape and he quickly decided that he didn't like apparition very much. Quickly jumping to his feet, he looked around to see where he was and the sight that met him effectively silenced whatever he had been about to say.

They had landed on a lush green carpet, where beautifully detailed embroidery shone in silver silk thread. The room wasn't too large, it looked like a small living room or library. A huge fireplace occupied most of one wall, the three others were lined with bookshelves, only broken at one place by a door made of dark wood. The light from the fireplace gave the room a soft, warm glow and there was no other source of light. Just next to Harry was two deep armchairs, both dark leather, and a small coffee table was situated between them. However, his attention was quickly drawn towards the man standing in front of the door, both hands on a cane of black material and the head formed in the shape of a hissing snake. Malfoy Sr. looked at him with piercing grey eyes, but Harry was surprised to find no animosity in his stare.

"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Mr Potter. I hope Severus wasn't too brusque when he came to accompany you?' the last bit was directed more at Snape than at Harry. The black-haired man sneered and looked away, causing Malfoy to sigh, though with a slight hum of amusement. It was obvious that the two were used to bantering like this and Harry felt strangely comforted by Malfoy's behaviour. Despite all of Ron's stories about the Malfoy family and also the rather unfriendly attention the youngest Malfoy had given him during their first year at Hogwarts, Harry couldn't help but feel strangely at home.

'No, Mr Malfoy, it was not too bad. Though I don't particularly like apparating' he added sheepishly. The Malfoy patriarch didn't smile, but a slight glimmer of amusement seemed to flicker in his grey eyes before they went back to looking slightly bored though attentive.

'If you would come this way' he said as he turned towards the door and held it open for his guests, 'we can find somewhere a bit more comfortable so that all questions you certainly must have can be answered.' Harry was puzzled as he couldn't see why this room wasn't comfortable enough, but he decided that to play along was his best choice at the moment, so he stepped out into the corridor on the other side of the door.

Lucius lead the way and Harry couldn't stop staring at the neatly lined row of portraits that hung on the wall. All of them had the same haughty look, but he noticed that several of them nodded approvingly, even friendly at Lucius and some nodded in acknowledgment at Snape. It made Harry think that beneath the cool façade, there was something a little warmer than what the Malfoys portrayed to the outside world. At last they reached a door not unlike the one they had gone out of minutes before and Lucius opened it and walked in. The room was, to Harry at least, glorious. Three great chandeliers lit up the massive space and the stone floor was covered in thick carpets. There was a fireplace in this room too, the fire burning merrily and lighting up two couches facing each other with a low table between them. On the other side of the room was a large dining table. Several vases of green plants stood along the walls, making the room look alive and they also added a touch of colour to the room, which was otherwise done in muted, dark colours – all white, black and grey.

The elder Malfoy directed Harry towards one of the couches and Snape and himself took a seat in the other one. The boy could feel himself sink into the seat and he almost had to stop himself from sighing out loud at just how comfortable it was. The Dursleys certainly didn't have anything this wonderful and Harry wondered if these seats were even comfier than the ones at Hogwarts, something he had deemed impossible up till than point.

'Well then, Mr Potter' Malfoy said as he leaned forward a little. 'Please ask me any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them.'

'Who was that house-elf that came to my uncle's house yesterday? He said he came from you, but he didn't tell me just what a house-elf is!' Harry blurted out, as this was the only thing he could think of at the spur of the moment. It seemed like the question took the other two by surprise, but it was quickly masked by indifferent expressions.

'Dobby is a house-elf, as you know. House-elves were originally high elves, but because of a treaty between them and us, all high elves that commit a crime are sentenced to serve a magical family. When they do, their magic is severely restricted, which causes their appearance to change rather drastically' Lucius' lip cured slightly, as if he found the thought itself highly offensive. 'They can still perform magic, though it is of a kind different from the one we use. That is why house-elves are able to, among other things, apparate in and out of places where witches and wizards are kept from entering by magical shields and spells.'

Harry frowned slightly as he considered what Lucius had just told him. "Sentenced to serve"? That was just a nicer way of saying the creatures were given to them as slaves. 'But is there no way for them to return to their own kind? I mean, it seems awfully strict to remove them from their families and race for life?' Harry tentatively asked, but he suspected the answer even before the other opened his mouth.

'That sort of thinking belongs to Dumbledore and his minions. The Light believes that everyone deserves a second chance, that every being is inherently good. They never learn from history, from past events which prove beyond doubt that sometimes, harsh measures must be taken, if nothing else but to set an example.' Lucius replied, he voice cold and hard, but Harry didn't think his anger was directed at him, but rather at the headmaster and his views.

'But is it truly necessary to force them to serve wizards for their entire lives?' he pleaded 'wouldn't an example be set by making them work for a few years and then they could go back?' Lucius shook his head and Snape snorted.

'That philosophy will make you end up being stabbed in the back by someone you deemed worthy of a second chance' the potions master growled. 'The world is simply more than just black or white, good or evil. People are complicated and so are magical creatures such as elves. They do things that would seem incomprehensible to others, but will make perfect sense to them at that particular moment. Don't rely on the fact that because you did something good, people will be good in return.'

Harry was at a loss for words. Everything he had been taught had revolved around that golden rule, but here these two men were telling him to see everything in a much more sceptical light. On one hand, he trusted Dumbledore, but on the other hand, he couldn't help but be suspicious of why the man had been deemed unfit as his guardian. Surely something quite bad must have happened for the Wizengamot to make that decision?

'I'm not sure I believe that, but answer my next question. Why was headmaster Dumbledore considered unfit as my guardian and why would you want that role?' Harry asked, but quickly added 'No offense, but your family don't strike me as the ones who would want to have anything to do with me.'

Lucius smiled at this and leant backwards against the couch. 'Dumbledore was revealed to be the fraud that we have been trying to show everyone he has been all along. He went to far in his attempt to abolish the traditions that have belonged to us since the beginning of our world.'

'The Light believes that house-elves should be freed and that the mixing of magical blood should be abolished. They also believe that the old way of only marrying a partner with a magical core that is suitable to your own, and that only after a suitably long courting period, is out-dated.' At Harry's expression, the potions master cut him off before he could say anything. 'To answer your obvious question; marrying someone with a core of similar strength to your own is absolutely necessary, as a weaker witch or wizard would be consumed by the other's magic. Before we realized this, several unions between witches and wizards ended tragically because they had not taken this into consideration. Again, the Light are completely ignoring the past, choosing to live after a misguided sense of everything being different now because we are in a different time than then.' The man's eyes were even darker than usual and he almost spat the words out.

'But what has that got to do with me being here?' Harry asked, as he recalled his original question. He instantly became suspicious when the two men looked at each other and both of them turned to him with a small grin on their faces.

'You are here because you need to be provided with a proper education, to be learned in everything that has to do with the Old Ways and the traditions of our people. There was no way you would gain this from further living with people associated with the Light and as such, my family and I have deemed it necessary to welcome you into our house and to provide you with all the knowledge you will need.'

Something in the man's voice made Harry's stomach twist into a nervous bundle. There was something the man didn't mention, something hidden beneath his words. 'The knowledge I will need? Need for what?' Harry inquired, though slightly dreading the answer.

The blond now moved forward again. 'The knowledge you will need to become the Dark Lord's husband.' he said and both Lucius and Snape looked at him with matching expressions that seemed to express just how lucky he was to be chosen for this purpose.

Harry blinked twice, tried to say something and then fainted.

* * *

Aww, poor Harry-kins... Can't be easy to know that you're facing a life of being trained to become the husband of the man who killed your parents! Hopefully, things will turn out good for our poor hero? You will only know if I get reviews! (Just kidding, I will never abandon a story once I've started it!)

I'll be working the coming week, but should be able to get some writing done so the next update will probably be up faster than this one!


	4. Chapter 4

Yay! Sliiiightly quicker update this time! :D

Glad to see you all enjoyed last chapter! Now Harry will have to come to terms with living with stuck-up Malfoys. Wonder how he'll cope with that, eh?

Anyways, I'll be working during the summer as well as study for the coming term at uni, but I should be able to get some writing done! Personal goal is to update within a week, but I can't promise any more than that I will update *sometime* :P

Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

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When he came to himself again, Harry was lying in a soft bed. Sitting up, he found his glasses on the bedside table and looked around. As everything else in Malfoy manor, the room seemed vast and spacious, with just enough furniture to make it look like someone actually lived there. Besides the bed and bedside table, there was a small bookcase with glass doors protecting the various tomes inside. Harry decided to take a look at them later. Next to the bookcase was a rather large and comfortable looking dark blue armchair.

Two large windows looked out into what could only be a garden, judging by the pretty rows of roses, hydrangeas and tulips that he could see from where he was sitting. There were also two doors, one in front of him and one to the left. Assuming that the one to the left was the entrance door, Harry chose to investigate what the other lead to.

Jumping out of the bed, the raven-haired boy quickly walked over the floor, this, as the previous rooms he's seen, covered by a richly decorated silver carpet. He briefly wondered at the choice of colouring – blue and silver. Since the Malfoys were all in Slytherin, Harry had expected green and silver instead. 'Oh well, what does it even matter to me how the Malfoys decorate their house?' Harry thought grumpily as he opened the door. The room he entered was a bathroom, with a large bathtub at one end of the room and a rather pretty ceramic sink on the other. With a snort, Harry realized the tub had feet formed in the shape of small lions' heads. Seeing nothing more of interest, he turned around and decided to take a look at the books in the bookcase. 'There might be something there that can help explain this situation to me' he thought as his eyes browsed the spines of each book in turn.

Lucius' words still ringed in his ears. 'Become the Dark Lord's husband'? The concept seemed just too strange to comprehend. Why the hell should he marry the man who killed his parents and who was considered the most evil wizard known to the magical world? And for that matter, why would he want to marry Harry? There had to some kind of trick to this, they were trying to fool him, to lure him into a trap or something Harry decided. There was just no way that he could just accept their words up front. Just as his eyes landed on one especially interesting looking book and his hand reached out to open the glass doors to further investigate, the door on his left flew open and Draco Malfoy appeared in the doorway. Harry groaned inwardly, this was definitely the last thing he needed right now.

'So. It seems we will have to call a truce' Draco stated in a nonchalant tone of voice and his hands on his hips. Short, slick blond hair practically shone in the light from the sun coming in from the windows and Harry was struck at just how much the younger Malfoy resembled his father. Though Lucius was decidedly more aloof and careful about hiding his feelings and emotions, they had the same way of holding their head, chin slightly lifted so that it seemed like they were staring down at you at all times. And of course, the eyes and hair were the same grey and silver.

Rising, Harry brushed some non-existent dirt from his knees and he faced the other boy. 'I guess… Though I don't promise I'll like you very much. You've certainly not made yourself very likeable during our first year.' He said and he hated how grumpy he sounded. Draco seemed to pick up on the underlying tone of his voice, because he snorted as if the matter was too much beneath him to even consider.

'I behaved the way I did because you decided to be stupid. Who was it that approached you before the sorting and offered you my friendship? And you turned me down in favour of that blood traitor Ronald Weasley.' Harry's first instinct was to shoot in to defend his friend, but he stopped himself. Draco _did_ have a point. His refusal of the boy's friendship had been based on the stories Ron had told him on the train. However, if he were to go by the redhead's stories, then Lucius would've been evil incarnate, second only to Voldemort himself. From the little time Harry had spent with the older man, he seemed slightly distanced and cunning, yes, but hardly evil.

When Harry didn't reply, Draco took it as a sign to continue. Walking over to the bed, the blond sat down and stared accusingly at the Boy Who Lived. 'You can hardly blame me. And wouldn't you know, I seem to be right. It is no secret that the Weasleys are avid followers of Dumbledore and finally the public has become aware of just how twisted that man is. The fact that that redheaded clan is still following his beck and call is just testament to how narrow-minded and delusional they are!' the young Malfoy sneered. 'And now you're here in Malfoy Manor. My father has been given the honour of educating you in the ways of our people, in the old traditions and ways of life that all wizards should adhere to!' the pride was evident in his voice now and, with an almost playful toss of his head, he added 'I told you that some families were better than others.'

'Stop talking shit about Ron and the Weasleys!' Harry growled, though his heart wasn't in it. The fact that his best friends had neglected to send him any letters at all had made him feel oddly vulnerable. Also, getting into yet another fight with someone he would be living with for the foreseeable future was probably not a very good idea. A truce sounded like the most sensible option, Harry reasoned and he decided that for now, he would try to get along with Draco and then he could talk to Ron and Hermione to get their view on it later. If the Malfoys were to be his new family, then he'd be damned if he wouldn't try to prevent it becoming yet another life such as the one he had been leading at the Dursley's.

'Listen' he started and tiredly wiped a hand over his eyes as if it would alleviate the coming headache he felt was forming. 'if I'm going to be living here, I want to get along with both you and your family.' Draco's eyebrows rose, as if this sudden declaration of defeat surprised him, but then he schooled his features again, smiled slightly and rose from the bed.

'Finally you're being sensible. To be honest, I expected a lot more fighting from you than this, but I can't say I'm disappointed that you're being agreeable for once.' Harry decided to ignore the slightly self-satisfied tone of voice the blond used and shook the hand that the younger Malfoy had extended towards him. Just a little more than a year ago, that same hand had been offered him and he had turned it down based solely on a few whispered rumours from a person he'd talked to for just a few hours on a train.

With a sudden realization, Harry figured that Draco might be a useful source of information. After all, he did live in Malfoy manor and despite perhaps not being the favoured conversation partner of his father, he might have overheard something here and there. Deciding that it was worth a shot, Harry, not being one for subtlety, fixed his eyes on Draco.

'So, care to tell me what's going on? You're bound to know something, at least more than I do at the moment!' the dark-haired boy stated. To his surprise, Draco looked slightly uncomfortable, silver blue eyes shifted to avoid Harry's own green ones and he shifted from one foot to another.

'I'm not really supposed to be talking about it with you. Father did tell me that you were bound to have questions, but that you were to go to him with all of them.' However, the other boy looked around him quickly, as if he suspected someone hiding in a corner, and leaned forward with a conspiratorial whisper 'though I do know that this situation, you know, the whole you-being-betrothed-to Voldemort thing, isn't something new. Apparently, even your parents knew about it! Though they were less than pleased about it…'

This little tidbit of information was precious to Harry. Though seemingly inconsequential to anyone else, to him it was valuable insight into what his parents had been like, what their thoughts and opinions had been. Of course, he knew that both of them had been firmly on Dumbledore's side, but he still wanted this proof of them being just a spectre of something long lost which the headmaster conjured whenever he thought Harry needed some emotional guidance.

On the other hand, having to ask Lucius directly didn't particularly appeal to Harry. Draco was predictable, or at least as predictable as a Malfoy could ever be, and as such it was easier to know how to phrase a question or statement so as to sneak information from him. Lucius, being involved in the high political circles of the Ministry, would detect such an attempt at once and probably find it highly amusing to leave him even more confused than he was at the moment. However, he had said that Snape's and his job was to prepare him for his future as the Dark Lord's… 'the Dark Lord's what exactly?' Harry wondered as the thought flicked through his mind. Husband? Probably not, the word seemed to convey a sense of equality. Harry was not so naïve as to think Voldemort considered the two of them equal. Consort then? Someone in the background, more there to highlight the other person in the relationship? This musing frankly left him with a headache so he decided to leave it for another time, hopefully after having obtained more information from either Lucius or Snape.

Draco had watched the other boy carefully as the Boy-Who-Lived was otherwise occupied by these mental musings. The blond had to admit he was surprised how easily the other took the news of him basically being forced to marry a man old enough to be his grandfather and who had killed his parents on top of it. If he had been in Harry's shoes, Draco would probably have thrown a massive fit. Furrowing his brows, Draco realized that he had never truly seen Harry passionately refuse to do something that a person of authority told him to do. Yes, he could be snide, especially in Potions, but he never outright refused to do something a teacher told him to do. For the first time in his life, Draco caught himself wondering how Harry had lived before he came to Hogwarts. The fact that the raven-haired boy had lived with his Muggle relatives was widely known, but no one seemed to know just what Harry thought about his living there. Not being one for waiting patiently when curious, Draco decided to get to the bottom of the matter.

'Sorry to bring you out of your internal debate, Potter, but since we're practically going to be brothers from now on I want to know more about you. It will be expected of us to know each other well, after all, we are to be family and nothing is kept secret from a member of the family. That is one of the important rules of Pureblood society, though I'll make sure to teach you the others later as you _will_ need to know them by heart.' Harry looked slightly confused for a moment, but then he walked over to the bed and sat down, patting the area next to him as a sign for Draco to sit down as well.

'So, what do you want to know?'

'It's no secret that Dumbledore brought you to your mother's sister and her family after your parents died. What was it like growing up in a muggle household? I'm sure they must have been intensely impressed by your magical abilities!' the last sentence was said with no small amount of pride, it was obvious that Draco considered Muggles to be much inferior to wizards and witches.

'Well, to be honest, they tried their best to conceal the fact that I was anything more than someone who lived to make their lives unbearably hard.' Harry admitted. He had decided in less than a second that Draco had a point. Now they were family, whether Harry liked it or not, and to be frank, the thought of having a brother to confide him appealed to him.

Draco sent him an incredulous stare. 'Hard?! How in the world could they consider living with the Boy-Who-Lived hard? Not to be too brusque with you, but they did get a pretty nice sum of money just by giving you a roof over your head.'

Scratching the back of his head in a slightly embarrassed manner, Harry nodded. 'I guess… My aunt harbours a lot of anger towards my mother, some kind of inferiority complex or other, and my uncle is terribly sceptical towards anything that might seem even slightly "abnormal" or out of the ordinary.' Leaning back, Harry stared at the ceiling while the memories of his previous eleven years were recalled. 'To make up for being a freeloader, as my uncle called it, my aunt made sure I pulled my weight around the house. I didn't mind terribly, to be honest. If I did it well, they'd leave me alone and – ´

He didn't get further than this because Draco had sprung to his feet with an indignant look on his face. Without saying a word, the slightly older boy grabbed Harry by the wrist and stalked towards the door, slamming it shut behind them. Harry tried his best to keep up with the other though he was thoroughly confused. Just what had he said to make Draco so angry? The blond was practically steaming and his face was pinched, eyes narrowed into angry slits. Never had Draco Malfoy given Harry a reason to fear him slightly, that was, until now.

'Hey Draco, where are we going? Did I say something wrong?' Harry tried to ask, but Draco ignored him completely and continued to drag him by the wrist. Never having seen the manor in full, Harry had no idea where they were heading, so he stopped fighting the other and decided to just follow along as best he could, hoping that it would all be explained sooner or later.

Finally, after about ten minutes of brisk walking, they found themselves standing outside a darkly coloured door. The young Malfoy stopped just long enough to courteously knock on the door, but he didn't wait for a reply before storming in, though slightly slower than his previous pace.

Harry looked past the blond head in front of him and saw what could only be an office. Lucius' office judging from the fact that the Malfoy patriarch was sitting behind a massive mahogany desk, a stack of parchment in his hands. Snape was also there, sitting in a leather armchair in front of a fireplace. Harry absentmindedly wondered if all the rooms in the manor had fireplaces, before Lucius broke the silence.

'Draco, what is this supposed to mean?' the older man said in a perfectly composed tone of voice, but there was unmistakably a sense of threat hiding in his words. 'I don't recall allowing you to just barge into my office whenever you feel like it.'

Draco flushed a little, but seemed to gain confidence as he straightened his back and lifted his chin slightly, as if in defiance.

'I'm deeply sorry, Father, but Harry has just told me something that I think both of you need to know as soon as possible.' The words appeared to pique the interest of the two men because Lucius put the papers aside and folded his hands neatly in front of him, while Snape sat up just a bit straighter in his chair. Onyx and silver eyes were trained on Harry and the boy shot Draco a bewildered look. Sensing his confusion, the other boy faced him with an encouraging nod.

'When we were talking earlier, you told me that your relatives were less than impressed by you being a wizard.' At Harry's confused nod, Draco continued. 'You also said that they made you work as a payment for providing you with a place to live. Just what 'work' did you mean?'

Not fully understanding why this was the reason for Draco's indignant rage, Harry sighed. 'Look, it wasn't too bad! Aunt Petunia left it to me to do the chores, you know, making breakfast for Uncle Vernon and Dudley, cleaning the house, weeding in the garden – just boring, everyday stuff.'

However, the reaction from the three other people in the room clearly showed that he was alone in thinking this an everyday matter. Lucius' face stiffened before his lips thinned into a straight narrow line. A sharp 'what?' escaped from the Potions Master and Draco looked at him with a serious expression, which seemed to say 'I told you my reaction was justified'.

Walking around his desk, Lucius came to stand in front of the dark haired boy. 'Harry, this is a serious offence. You have been treated like a house-elf, by your own family no less. I'm not sure how familiar you are with Wizarding traditions, but a magical child is never to do the work of an elf. The chores you described are reserved as punishment for those elves who are sentenced to serve a magical household and as such, making you do the same tasks would effectively reduce you to the status of a criminal in the eyes of Wizarding society.'

Harry's eyes widened when he realized what Lucius was saying. 'But they are muggles, it's quite common in the muggle world to make the children help out around the house!' His words were dismissed by a loud snort from Snape as the man rose from his chair.

'And have you ever seen your cousin do anything even resembling household chores? Even if other children work around the house, they are usually given an allowance. They aren't made to work as a way of repaying the parents' kindness in letting them live in their house.'

Wishing to reply, but finding himself without any convincing arguments to compete with those of the three in front of him, Harry was left feeling very confused and uncertain. 'But still, it's hardly an offence in the muggle world! Maybe it's not usual, but it's not particularly mean or anything!' he tried to chime up, but Lucius ignored him.

Draco, who seemed to gain confidence from having the two older men on his side in the discussion, spoke up. 'Also, I remember how your glasses were broken and taped together when I first saw you, as well as how you seemed to be quite malnourished.' He added with a pointed look at his clothes 'not that you could notice very well when you cover yourself up in those huge baggy clothes.'

The boy's words directed Snape and Lucius' attention towards him even more closely. None of them said a word, but after what seemed like several minutes of careful scrutiny, the older Malfoy turned on his heel and walked back towards his desk. Parchment and a quill was quickly produced and Harry shot Draco a bewildered glance when Lucius proceeded to write something that looked like a letter of some sort.

'What is going on?' he whispered, just low enough so that only Draco would hear. The other just put a finger to his lips and shook his head, clearly signalling Harry to wait and see.

Without wasting any time, Lucius stood up, quickly rolled up the parchment and, from a perch next to a large window, picked up a regal-looking eagle owl and tied the letter to its foot. Walking over to the window, the man opened it and let the bird take to its wings. They all watched as the owl disappeared into the distance and only after it gone from view did Lucius turn around to face them again.

'What was that and who are you writing to?' Harry asked, for a moment completely forgetting that it was rather rude to ask something like that. Lucius, however, didn't seem to mind because he sat down behind the desk and sent him a slight smile that also seemed to convey that it was all going to be sorted out.

'That, Harry, was me telling the Dark Lord how his future husband has been treated at his relatives' house. I can assure you, he won't be pleased by the news.'

* * *

*sigh*

Poor Harry... Voldemort will not be happy at all!

This is just a way for me to introduce Voldie a little, since he will have to take the backseat for a little while. After all, Harry is almost 12 and nowhere near an age appropriate for marriage! Remember, the reason he's at Malfoy manor is so that Severus and Lucius can teach him all about pureblood traditions and values and everything bascially...

I'll probably do a little time skip so that we can get to what we're all here for *wink wink*, but that's still a few chapters off! So please bear with me and tell me what you think of the story so far or if you have any thoughts/ideas! Love reading your opinions!


	5. Chapter 5

Yay! Quick(er) update! :D

Wow, this weekend+week has been SO hectic! My summer job started and I'm also training for a half marathon, in addition to studying for next term at uni. Somehow, I still managed to make room for writing though, so it's all good!

I made some slight changes to the format. Instad of using 'speech', I'm using "speech" now. Rubellite Game was the one who pointed that out, so thanks! I was planning on changing it, since it made distinguishing between thoughts and speech pretty hard. Hope you all find it easier too!

Not much action in this chapter, but a lot of Harry's questions are answered and hopefully you will get an insight into how the universe of this fic is made up. I'm deviating quicte a lot from the canon, one example being that Harry is no horcrux since Voldemort never tried to kill him.

So, hope you all enjoy the chapter! :3

* * *

That evening, Harry lay in bed, his head too full of jumbled and confused thoughts to be able to sleep. That day had been absolutely ridiculous from start to finish, beginning with his being transported to Malfoy manor to when Lucius had decided to inform Voldemort of how his relatives had treated Harry when he had been living with them. Though he certainly could see things from their perspective, Harry couldn't help but feel that they were overreacting.

He had always known that his childhood had been different from most other kids', but he preferred to never mention it, to preserve at least a semblance of illusion that his relatives had just justified their treatment of him by saying he was an orphan. Only their good will kept him from being homeless and for that, Harry was grateful. Despite now knowing that they only kept him in their house because Dumbledore had paid them to do so, Harry was still thankful for them for providing him with a place to live. Though they were certainly harsh at times, especially Uncle Vernon, he had mostly been able to avoid trouble by obediently doing whatever it was they wanted him to do.

Sighing, Harry turned over on his side and looked out the window. The moon was shining and lighting the garden outside, making the bushes appear slightly otherworldly in the silvery light. He absentmindedly wondered how Voldemort would react to the news of his treatment at the Dursley's. Judging from Lucius and Snape's reaction, not to mention Draco's, Harry couldn't help but feel that the man would be indignant. However, from the stories he had heard, the wizard was cold and ruthless, hardly someone who would care if a child was treated less than optimally by it's caretakers.

This brought him back to the question he had been mulling over all day. 'Just why the hell would Voldemort want to marry me?!' Harry thought, brows furrowed in confusion. It just didn't make any sense to him. The man had tried to kill him, hadn't he? Deciding that this matter needed to be discussed with Lucius as quickly as possible the next day, Harry once again turned so that he was facing the door. Closing his eyes, he tried to will himself to sleep, but as anyone who has tried doing that will know, he just wound up feeling even more annoyed at the fact that sleep was simply not going to happen.

With a growl, Harry threw the covers off and grabbed a cloak that was hanging next to the bed. Putting it on and grabbing a pair of slippers, the boy opened the door and slipped out into the corridor. If he couldn't sleep, then he might be able to find a library to read, he thought as he passed by the row of portraits of deceased Malfoys on the wall, most of whom where in a state of deep, though dignified, sleep.

Draco had been kind enough to give him a brief tour of the manor after Lucius had dismissed the two boys from his office and Harry tried to remember where the main library the blond had shown him was. Stopping at a door positioned near the staircase, Harry grabbed the handle and carefully opened the door so as to avoid it creaking. Row upon row of bookshelves met his eyes and he silently congratulated himself for finding the room on first try.

There was a seating area to his left and the fireplace was still lit, causing the room to be lit with a warm glow. Walking over to the nearest bookshelf, Harry grabbed the first book that caught his eyes, _The Inward Working of the Ministry of Magic: The Secrets Behind Its Walls_, and walked over to one of the armchairs nearest the fire. Though he had no interest in the inner working of the ministry, Harry figured the book might be boring enough for him to fall asleep.

He had barely read two pages when a soft cough snapped him out of his reading and his head swivelled around to face the direction the sound had come from. Snape was standing in the doorway, a book in his hand. The man had assumedly been reading it in his room and had come back to return it to its original place.

"Mind if I join you?" the Potions Master asked and Harry was surprised at the rather friendly tone. The boy, not trusting his voice, just nodded dumbly and the other sat down in the armchair next to Harry's.

"I assume you're not truly enjoying your reading?" Snape said with a pointed look towards the book in Harry's lap.

"I couldn't sleep and I figured I'd try to read something that'd make me sleepy…" the boy said with a sheepish smile.

Snape chuckled slightly. "Fair enough. I've certainly done so myself many times before. You will find that Lucius has a vast amount of sleep inducing tomes in his collection." The last sentence was said in a rather icy tone, as if the man disdained his friend's taste in reading material.

Finding Snape to be a vastly different person now than from what he was used to, Harry decided to test his luck getting some information from the man. From what he knew, Snape had been heavily involved in the war, mostly fighting on the side that seemed to be winning and never giving away his loyalties. The fact that he was now in Lucius' house, given the task of 'preparing' Harry for his marriage to Voldemort, probably also meant that the man had finally decided to stay true to the Dark side.

"Professor, why does Voldemort want to marry me? I mean, he killed my parents and tried to kill me as well! Is this some sort of elaborate trap to kill me and make it look like an accident?" Harry well knew he was making no sense, but he hadn't really sorted his own thoughts out, much less formed any sort of coherent argument about the topic.

Snape didn't say anything at first, choosing rather to stare at Harry through dark, searching eyes. If was almost as if the man was looking for something, some sort of sign that meant Harry was ready to know whatever it is they were hiding from him. Seeming to reach a conclusion, the other leant back in his chair and, with both elbows on the armrests, formed a steeple with his fingers so that his chin rested on them.

"How much do you know of that night when your parents died, Mr Potter?"

The question seemed so out of the blue that Harry blinked twice in surprise before actually realizing what the Potions Master had said.

"Well, I know that Voldemort found my parents' house, despite the Fidelius charm that Dumbledore had placed on it. My parents fought him, but he was the more powerful of them and he killed them. Hagrid told me that my mum died protecting me and that, somehow, the killing curse rebounded when he shot it at me and it hit him instead, which ended the war." Instantly, Harry knew that this story was something made up to make him feel better. The reason he knew was because Snape's eyes had become immeasurably sad when he had mentioned his mum dying, but also because the man shook his head slowly in dissent.

"No, that is the version Dumbledore wanted the world to believe." Harry was unsurprised at this. The last twenty-four hours had shown him that the headmaster he had known was a fake, an image created by the old man to get on Harry's good side. The anger bubbled in his stomach, but he suppressed it so that Snape could finish his story.

"What really happened was that the Dark Lord sought out James and Lily to propose a marriage treaty, binding their son to him once said son became of age. However, the Potters were already firmly on Dumbledore's side and refused to listen to him. Voldemort passing through the shields around the house had alarmed Dumbledore and he brought with him members of the Order of the Phoenix to fight the Dark Lord. Even when faced with six highly competent wizards, Lord Voldemort kept them off. James Potter attacked him as the Dark Lord turned to defend himself from a curse sent towards him by the headmaster and his hex wounded Voldemort, causing him to shoot back in anger. Potter died on the spot. Lily, always being fiercely protective of those she loved, charged at the Dark Lord in fury and he shot her, though it was not his original objective for either of your parents to get hurt. As he was injured, Lord Voldemort fled the house and Dumbledore chose to place you with that stupid sister of your mother, Petunia."

Harry was stunned to say the least, but then he remembered something that didn't make sense to him. "Then what about my scar? Dumbledore told me I got that from when the killing curse didn't work."

"To be honest, I have no idea where you got that scar. However, Voldemort never fired a killing curse at you, that much is for certain. It wouldn't make any sense for him to so either, as his intention is to keep you very much alive." Snape said with a huff, as if he didn't quite see why his lord would want such a thing. "My guess is that Dumbledore figured it would fit nicely with his story to have a visible sign that Voldemort had marked you as his target for the whole of the Wizarding world to see."

"But I still don't understand why Voldemort would be after a marriage contract binding us together. I mean, I'm almost twelve while he is old enough to be my grandfather!" This was a thought that had disturbed Harry greatly. Though never having seen Voldemort, except as a disfigured face on the back of Quirrell's skull, he pictured an old, bald man. The thought made him slightly nauseous.

Snorting at Harry's facial expression, Snape calmly said, "Don't worry your stupid little brain, Potter. Wizards age far differently than muggles and, besides, the Dark Lord is not the most powerful wizard of our time for nothing. He has ways to keep himself from aging, it is truly a magnificent power he wields." Snape's eyes seemed to gaze at something far away as he was remembering something in his past. His facial expression clearly showed how much respect the Potions Master had for the wizard.

What the older wizard had told him, made Harry lean back in his chair to think. His thoughts were jumbled up and he needed some time to sort them out, to get an idea of what he had to focus on and what to ask of Lucius and Snape when next time he saw the two of them together. Harry was certain that Lucius, being the second in command of Voldemort's forces, would know more than Snape did. However, it wouldn't hurt to get as much information as he could out of the Potions Master now that he was sitting right next to him.

"Since Dumbledore seems to have been holding several things secret or outright lied, I can't be certain that he has told me the truth about just what the Dark side is trying to accomplish. Is it true that you want to exclude muggleborn from the magical world? And that half-bloods will be considered inferior to purebloods?" Harry felt like he had asked a specifically hard question and he almost hoped to see Snape squirming in his chair, trying to phrase the Dark side's objectives in as positive light as he could. However, he was disappointed, as Snape seemed almost happy to answer him.

"To clear up any misconceptions you might have, the Dark side is not actually that 'dark'. The terms 'light' and 'dark' to describe our respective movements was Dumbledore's idea and it has stuck since. And no, we don't want to completely exclude muggleborn, but it is necessary to thoroughly research their background, families, ideas and conceptions before admitting them into Hogwarts. It will be like a sort of interview to see if they are suited to a life in a magical environment." When Harry opened his mouth to interject, Snape cut him off. "Have you never wondered why so many of the muggleborn educated at Hogwarts go back into the muggle world? Because that is where they feel comfortable, where they feel 'home' is. What we are after is for them to truly _want _to be a part of our society. That way, they are truly an advantage to us and can perform their jobs without regretting their choice to leave their muggle relations behind."

The idea made sense to Harry, but he didn't want to admit that to the professor. "But what about half-bloods, then? Draco always seems to sneer at them when we're at Hogwarts and is always preaching how purebloods are the only way to be accepted."

Snape sighed and closed his eyes for just a second before he opened them again, his gaze on the slowly dying fire. "Draco is a Malfoy. When in public, he has to conform to the cold, dispassionate image his family has created for themselves over the centuries. He is merely acting like the public expects him to act. I trust you have seen how he is when he is interacting either with yourself or his father, right?"

Harry nodded. It was true; Draco had been almost friendly when he had been showing him around the manor. He had made jokes, excitedly pointed out favourite objects of his in a room they passed by or when they were walking in the garden, and he had treated Harry like an equal and a friend. At first, his behaviour had puzzled Harry, but he quickly came to appreciate it. The mask Draco put on when in public was nothing like the personality he exhibited when surrounded by the safe walls of his home.

"I… guess you have a point, sir." Harry grudgingly admitted and he scowled at Snape's self-satisfied expression. "So, if you could sum up what the main objectives of the Dark is?"

Snape nodded. "It is quite simple, really. What the Dark wants is for the old traditions to be respected and followed. As it is now, modern ideas and ways of thinking is quickly causing us to destroy our own race and ways of life. One example is the idea that one should marry out of love."

"But there is nothing wrong with that! Why should you have to live your life with someone you can't stand?!' Harry exclaimed. The idea was simply ludicrous to him and he felt oddly defensive, as his own life was probably going to be much like the one he had just described.

"That is muggle thinking. Marrying based on love alone is perfectly fine and probably preferable in the muggle world, but for wizards it is a different matter. You have to marry someone who has a magical core of the same strength as yourself, meaning, they must be just as powerful as you. Nothing more, nothing less. There must also be a courting period so that the two magical cores can 'get used to each other' or develop some sense of interconnection. With a truly compatible couple, they can use each other's wands as if they were their own and their magic will always try to protect their partner."

"Then what happens if the two magical cores are of different strength?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling even more confused. Voldemort was the strongest wizard of the magical world. His own magical core would be but a speck compared to the Dark Lord's, surely.

"Unfortunately, there have been several instances where the weaker of the two has been killed by the stronger core. What happens is that the stronger core will suck magic from the other. Normally, if the two were of equal strength, this wouldn't be a problem as they would extract equal amounts of magic from the other, but if one is weaker, they will have no way of defending themselves or extracting the magic needed to support their own magic flow. The weaker witch or wizard will then first lose all their magic, slowly over time, and will then die as a result."

Now Harry was feeling slightly faint, which Snape probably noticed as the man leant forward and put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't worry, do you really think the Dark Lord would choose to marry someone with a magical core inferior to his own? He would have no advantage of killing you, trust me."

"But he is the most powerful wizard in our world, isn't he? Hermione told me that only Dumbledore can equal him in strength!" Harry interjected and his voice was almost pleading. "Surely, I'm nothing compared to that!"

Snape just sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well then, if you choose to not listen to those who know more than you and rather follow your own misguided ideas about how things work, then be my guest." With that, the man rose from his chair, gave Harry a curt nod and quickly excited the room, leaving Harry feeling even more miserable and confused than he had been to begin with.

* * *

Harry doesn't have it very easy, does he? Though he is being a little stubborn *wags finger at him*

There will be few more (or maybe only one more?) chapter of 'operation: educating Harry in the ways of the Dark' before Voldie finally makes his appearance! I'm SO excited! :D I have some general ideas, but if you have any wishes/ideas, throw them at me!

Until next time!


	6. Chapter 6

Whohoo! I'm on a roll! :D

I just couldn't resist anymore, I had to include our favourite Dark Lord in this chapter! He was quite mad at me for not giving him some attention... So here you are!

Also, just thought I'd address something here. Harry might seem very trusting of Lucius and Snape. However, he is simply listening to their side of the story, not necessarily trusting it to be the truth. After finding out Dumbledore lied to him, as well as his friends not responding to his letters, Harry is more reluctant to trust people on their words and will instead listen and then make up his own opinion based on the facts given to him. Hopefully this chapter will explain his actions a little bit better!

Without further ado, please read on!

* * *

It took Harry quite some time to calm down. Snape's reaction had left him angry and dissatisfied, as if the older man was hiding something that he refused to tell him. After all, they were talking about Harry's own future, of course he had a right to know whether that future might entail him dying because he was married to a wizard with a magical core that was way stronger than his own.

Stomping back towards his room and almost slamming the door behind him, but refraining to do so because he would wake the rest of the house, and threw himself on the bed. In his eyes, his anger was justified. He was only trying to learn more about his future and Snape had told him that, when courting and then marrying, a stronger wizard would kill, unintentionally, their spouse if that person had a weaker core than their own. And of course Voldemort would be stronger than him!

'I'm twelve, for Merlin's sake!' Harry thought to himself, with not a little degree of mortification at the prospect of his marriage. Though that day was still far off, Lucius had said that it was Voldemort's wish that they would only marry when Harry was of age, he still wanted to live longer than seventeen years.

His anger slowly turned into a quite sort of desperation and frustration as Harry turned over on his back to gaze at the ceiling. Now, was there anything he could do to prevent this seemingly inevitable future? Was there any way for him to become someone who could stand next to Voldemort without having to fear for his life and the wasting away of his magic? His eyes fell on the bookshelf and with a newfound steely determination, he hurried over and searched the spines for something, anything, that might be useful. With an exclamation of elation, he opened the shelf and pulled out a big heavy book. The covers were made out of wrinkled black leather and the title, _Traditions and Tribulations of the Old Magical Community_, was engraved in a spidery silver thread. A thick layer of dust covered it and Harry quickly used the sleeve of his cloak to brush off the worst of it before he sat down in the armchair and browsed through the index to find out which of the chapters would be most useful.

What he was looking for was an introduction that would give him better insight than what Snape had told him, as well as some more in depth knowledge of how to tackle a problem concerning the old traditions. Maybe he could even find something pertaining to his own situation? Without further hesitation, Harry impatiently flipped the pages till he reached the heading of the first chapter, _Magical Meanderings_, and started reading.

* * *

Voldemort was pacing, quickly turning on his heel when he reached the opposite wall and then he furiously headed back in the direction he had originally come from. Long, spidery fingers were crushing a letter in a tight fist, the Malfoy insignia barely shown waxed on to the ends of it.

'How _dare_ those muggles treat a wizard like that?!' he silently fumed and the pacing grew even quicker and violent, as a burst of magic shattered a vase that stood on the mantelpiece. With a barely conscious gesture, he flicked his wand in that direction and the shards disappeared. Though he was absolutely furious, he still liked some sort of order and tidiness around him. To succumb to disorganization just wouldn't do, not when he had a future husband to court.

Lucius had written him with the interesting story Harry had involuntarily told them. How he had been forced to clean the house, weed the flowerbeds, make the food… Voldemort was… not shocked, he had been living with muggles long enough to know that this was considered if not normal, not outrageous treatment of a child. No, he was confused, confused as to why Harry had just let it happen without saying anything, without putting a stop to it. Granted, Voldemort had only met the boy twice in his life, the first time when the boy was barely one year old and then again last year, when he himself was barely even human and had been forced to live that despicable half-life on the back of Quirrell's head. Still, the Dark Lord had expected the boy to be a little more conscious of his place in the world, to know how powerful he was.

Because Harry was powerful, no doubt about it. He had felt it as a tingling in the air that day when he visited the Potters. Such a shame that they were too entrenched in Dumbledore's snares to listen to him.

With a snarl, Voldemort sat down in front of his desk and grabbed a quill and some paper. Something had to happen and quick. He no longer had time to wait until Harry was as educated in the Old Traditions as any pureblood heir, he wanted to meet the boy, to reveal to him how power was surging through his body and how, with training, he could mould that power to create the most amazing things. Red eyes flashed excitedly as he thought about it. He still remembered when he himself had realized his true potential and how his magic had filled his body so completely that he felt he might burst, before it quieted down to lay silent until such a time as when he needed it again.

He had been writing continuously and, with an impatient air, picked the parchment up and looked over the contents.

_Lucius_

_Your news are indeed worrisome and I have decided to step in personally to change Potter's conception of himself, the Wizarding world and myself. There are obvious holes in his education and Dumbledore has filled his head with too many lies. Luckily, the boy is still young so the headmaster will not have had time to completely turn him against us and our cause. _

_I'm not going to just appear at Malfoy Manor, that would be too much of a shock to the boy. Instead, you will prepare him for the fact that I will be visiting. As you are widely known in the upper social circles of our society, I want you to arrange a ball in two weeks. I will be there, in disguise of course, and I expect Potter to be ready to meet me and have a conversation without it turning into a situation where I will have to rectify all his misconceived notions. Make sure to weed those from his mind, I don't have the patience to deal with whatever little notions Dumbledore has put into his head. _

_I trust you to take the necessary precautions and to arrange an event that will suit my needs for discretion, as well as to make sure Harry is ready to meet me when I arrive. _

_Voldemort_

Satisfied with the letter and confident that Lucius would be able to follow this command, Voldemort opened the window and a black hawk owl flew in to perch on the sill. Without a word, he tied the letter to the bird's leg, gave it a piece of an owl treat and watched it fly away.

Having calmed down considerably while writing the letter, the Dark Lord went over to the fireplace and sat down in one of the chairs facing it. Two weeks. That was the time he had given Lucius to finish all preparations, both with the ball and with making Harry comfortable with the fact that Voldemort, the one who killed his parents, would come specifically to see him. Though he was hardly a soft or kind-hearted person, Voldemort did regret killing Lily and James Potter. It didn't suit his plan at all and it also hurt his future husband, meaning that obtaining said husband would be harder.

'Not that he would ever even consider rejecting the Dark Lord himself.' Voldemort sneered self-assuredly, but he quickly fell back into the previous ponderous mood. What would he talk to the boy about? Despite himself he felt worried that the boy wouldn't like his company, that he would be unable to see anything more than the vicious persona he had created for himself. Voldemort sighed. He couldn't hide it from himself, he had a soft spot for Harry Potter and had had it since first becoming aware of the power latent in the boy. Though killing felt natural to him and the pleasure he found in torturing his victims was one of his most favourite, there was no denying that he wanted to be liked by Harry.

In the beginning, the Potter boy had been nothing more than an object that he wanted, something to possess. But over time this changed, now he had come to respect the power within that lithe body, the brilliant green eyes and the raven hair kept appearing before his eyes, leaving him with an almost desperate longing.

'For Merlin's sake, the boy is barely twelve!' he angrily chastised himself, but to no avail. Though he wouldn't want to marry the boy now, he wanted to get to know him, to gain Harry's respect and become someone who was closer to the boy than anyone else. After all, the longer the courting period, the more successful the marriage would be.

With a sudden cunning glint in his eyes, Voldemort rose from the chair. He would have to plan his meeting with Harry very carefully. 'First impressions are of utmost importance, even for Dark Lords' he thought to himself as he quickly excited the room and headed down the hallway.

* * *

With a groan, Lucius placed his head in his hands. Just for a moment, as it was most undignified for a Malfoy to do such things, but nevertheless. An owl had just arrived from his Lord and now he was expected to carry out his previous mission within two weeks _in addition to_ arrange a ball. Though he had every level of respect for the Dark Lord, did the man even have a concept of how long it usually took to arrange an even half decent festivity? From the sound of his letter, it seemed like Voldemort expected something grand, a ball with enough guests so that he would be able to blend in with the crowd and also meet Harry without attracting too much attention. Not that this would be very easy, the Potter boy would be the main attraction after all. Everyone would want to see him, talk to him, ask him how he liked living with the Malfoys and on and on. Lucius had been in this game for long enough now to know the rules of it.

With just one more exasperated sigh, Lucius pulled out quill and parchment. First, he needed to write Narcissa and ask her to cut her holiday in Spain short. His wife was most adept at knowing who to invite and how to decorate the place so that the ball would be remembered by everyone who went as the ball of the season. Secondly, he would have to write to Gringotts and make the goblins purchase the required food and drinks. As he had supplied the bank with enough money over the years, the goblins were little more inclined to do him some small favours. Hopefully, they wouldn't be too obstinate and would only require a small bribe. Though he could perfectly well employ a cook for the night, the goblins had a way of finding the best caterers in the magical world and Lucius would do his utmost to provide only the best for the ball where his Lord would appear.

Finishing the letter, the blond quickly tied it around the leg of a waiting Eagle Owl, not waiting to see it disappear into the distance, but rather stalking, in a highly dignified manner of course, out the door and towards Harry's bedroom. The sooner he broke the news of the Dark Lord's plans, the better. Lucius only had a limited amount of time to make sure everything went smoothly in two weeks and he was not one to waste any of the precious time he had left.

Harry was absorbed in the _Traditions and Tribulations of the Old Magical Community, _the book proving to be incredibly informative. In addition to in depth and barely known information, it also included basic historical information, explaining just how witches and wizards in times gone past arrived at the various solutions when it came to the traditions of magical society. Skipping many chapters that seemed interesting, but not particularly related to the topic he was looking for, Harry had finally found the section on magical unions and marriages.

Courting was absolutely necessary, the book stated, because it served to give the magical cores of the couple to fuse and become one. Harry remembered the words of Snape and reluctantly had to admit the man was right, if only on just that point. After realizing Dumbledore had been lying to him, Harry had decided to at least listen to the other side, to compare the two versions of the story and then reach his own conclusions. Just one day with the Malfoys wasn't enough to make him believe in them just right off the bat, he needed more evidence to support them being trustworthy enough to put his faith behind their words and to believe the things they told him. Sure, both Lucius and Draco had been perfectly civil, friendly even, but Harry couldn't help but feel that it might be just yet another strategic plot to elevate themselves even further in society. Even so, he had decided to listen to them without too much intervention before he could reach a conclusion of whether or not he could trust that the two Death Eaters, Snape and Lucius, were telling him the truth.

The sound of knocking on the door shook him out of his musings. "Come in!" he shouted, rather perplexed at the fact that someone was up at this hour. Casting a quick 'tempus', he saw this it was three in the morning, hardly a time where any self-respecting Malfoy was up.

The door opened and Lucius walked in and Harry nodded the slightly hurried air that surrounded the man. His usual perfect silver hair was slightly tousled in places and he was walking just a bit faster than his usual dignified pace. A slight frown was forming on his otherwise impassive face.

"Harry, I'm sorry to disturb you this late, but I have just received some news that simply couldn't wait."

The words intrigued Harry and he quickly closed the book, putting it back in the bookshelf for further reading at a later point.

"What's happened? Does it have anything to do with Voldemort?" From the look on Lucius' face, Harry knew he had hit the nail on the head and he could feel a tight knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

"It seems the news of your previous treatment when living with your relatives and the attitude you have in relation to it has greatly disturbed the Dark Lord. He wants your education to take precedent and will most likely be personally teaching you, from what I can understand from his letter. He has ordered me to arrange a ball in two weeks time, a ball which he himself will attend and where you two will be introduced. Before this point, you will have to be fully knowledgeable on everything to do with our society" Lucius said, before adding with a slightly doubtful tone to his voice "or at last as much as is possible in such a short amount of time."

Harry's mind went completely blank. He would be meeting the Dark Lord Voldemort, the one who killed his parents, intentionally or not, and who was also his future husband. Not to mention the most dark and powerful wizard of their time.

'This is no time to hesitate' Harry mentally berated himself. 'I need to make a stand and then stick to it. Going along with this plan of Voldemort's is going to speed up the process of learning, which will be useful. I will also be able to talk to the man himself in a place where there will be several people present, meaning I'll be relatively safe.' With a short nod to Lucius, Harry carefully voiced his opinion.

"I want to learn more about the old traditions and the old ways of magical society and if this plot of Voldemort's is going to present me with an opportunity to learn more, then I'm happy to go along with it." Deciding to also make his own personal standpoint clear, he added "however, I don't necessarily trust him, nor Snape and yourself. Dumbledore lied to me, the man I saw as a protector. I have no proof that your side won't do the same.

To his surprise, Lucius sent him a slight smile. "You'd be stupid to trust us immediately, Potter. If you will only follow one advice of mine, then follow this: never trust anyone implicitly. Everyone has their own agenda and that agenda might or might not be in your best interest."

"Right. I guess you've got a point." Harry acquiesced, though slightly happy that the man was honest with him. "So, when do this education begin?"

Lucius didn't reply, but turned around and walked over to the door, looking back at Harry with a slightly raised eyebrow, clearly expressing that he expected the boy to follow him.

"You can't be serious? It's three in the morning!" Harry protested, but followed the blond aristocrat anyway, his thirst for knowledge stronger than his desire for sleep.

* * *

Hahaha, I can just picture Harry looking longingly at his bed as he is running after Lucius. Hope you all liked the inclusion of Voldie! And now we all look forward to the next chapter! There will be a ball, there will be Dark Lords and finally, there will be Harry and Voldemort interacting! I am so looking forward to writing it! At this point, I feel like I'm just as excited for this as you guys, and I'm the one actually writing the story!

I might be a little late in updating though, as I've been obsessing over one of Drops_of_Nightshade's story over at Archive of Our Own. It's called 'The Courtesan' and it's LVHP and is just really addictive! I have yet to read all the chapters that are out, but so far I'm really loving it. You guys should all go check it out!


	7. Chapter 7

Phew! So much has happened since last time! Ran my half-marathon last Saturday (finished in 1.53, so super pleased with that!) and also been busy visiting family coming over on vacation... But! This chapter is almost 2000 words longer than my usual AND Voldemort finally shows up *runs around in a hyperactive frenzy* Hope you all like it! I know I promised you all that the ball would be in this chapter, but I found that I have to sort of cut it in half. That way, Voldemort is introduced in this chapter and then next chapter can be more of a slow building of their relationship.

Anyway, remember that this is LVHP. Meaning: there will plenty of romance between our favourite dark lord and Harry (of the sexual kind!). Just wanted to point that out for one reviewer who seemed kind of upset that I made Harry have any other feelings than hate for Tom. This story won't work if they hate each other's guts.

* * *

Dumbledore was silently staring intently at the wall opposite his desk, which he was sitting at. The situation had certainly gone out of control and now he had to find out how to fix it. How the Wizengamot had found out that he had stolen money from the Potter faults, as well as paid the Dursleys to 'take care of' Harry, he had no idea. Regardless, the secret was out and now Harry had been transported within the secure walls of Malfoy Manor, a place not even he could enter at will.

Sighing dejectedly, Dumbledore leant back in his chair and briefly looked at the paintings of previous headmasters and mistresses. Some of them smiled at him while a few others scowled or even outright refused to as much as glance at him. They all knew, of course, from listening to the various conversations going on at locations where their portraits hung and which they frequented from time to time. Lately, the frames in his office had been curiously empty, most of the portraits choosing to gain more information elsewhere.

A knock on the door brought him out of his musings and two heads peeked out from behind it, one with startlingly red hair and the other one bushy brown.

"Ah, my dear children, come in, come in." he said, reverting again to his kind grandfatherly persona.

Hermione and Ron shuffled in, Hermione having to nudge Ron a little to make him move forward, and they both stood in front of the desk obviously a little unsure of where to begin. Deciding not the pressure them, Dumbledore picked up a little green box from the desk and offered it to them.

"A lemon drop?"

To his slight disappointment, they both shook their heads. 'A pity, sweets usually serve to make people loosen up a little, to make them more trusting.' Dumbledore thought, but Hermione soon broke the silence.

"We're worried about Harry, headmaster. There is just no way he can be safe at the Malfoy's, they'll probably make his life a living hell!" the girl said, desperation evident in her voice.

"Who knows, maybe they'll even take him to You-Know-Who as well" Ron interjected, seemingly terrified of the thought of the dark wizard.

Of course, Dumbledore knew that the two weren't as worried as they pretended to be. He knew that Harry had tried to get in contact with them, but that his two 'best friends' had decided not to write him back. He didn't know the reason, however, so he decided to get to the bottom of it.

"Has Harry tried to contact either of you after going to Malfoy Manor?" he asked, watching their reactions carefully. There was some shuffling of feet and both of them avoided his stare, but Hermione once again spoke up.

"Truth be told, headmaster, he did send me a letter right before being transported there, but I figured it would be wisest not to reply." After some hesitation, she added, "I don't think Harry will be the same person after living with the Malfoys and I know all the stories about Dark wizards. Harry will probably end up the same as them and we've both decided we don't want to have anything to do with such a person." At this, she glanced over at the Weasley boy as for support and he quickly nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, he was a nice guy last year, but all the hype around him has gone to his head. This will just make him even more self-centred and fuel his hero-complex." The blatant envy in the redhead's voice was hardly concealed.

Wheels suddenly spinning in his head again, Dumbledore silently watched the children in front of him. He could use these two, that much was obvious. With a cunning smile, which he hid in his long silver beard, he put his hands on the desk.

"I certainly share your worries, Miss Granger and Mr Weasley. But don't you worry, with your cooperation I'm sure Harry will be back to us just as he was." As he told them about his plan, or at least as much of it as he wanted them to know, their eyes grew wide and Hermione seemed to soak up every word while Ron still looked a little grumpy at having to once again associate with Harry Potter.

* * *

With a groan, Harry collapsed onto his bed. Lucius had made him read a huge collection of books on 'proper behaviour', as the man called it, and then he had questioned Harry intensively, which just ended up with Harry being frustrated at not getting the answers correct. Lucius had not been pleased and, after realizing they weren't getting anywhere, had let Harry return to his room. It was already ten in the morning, which meant that they had been studying for seven hours.

Snuggling into the covers, Harry's eyelids started to flutter shut and black lashes slowly concealed the emerald eyes of his, until the door slammed open with considerably more noise than Harry appreciated at the moment. Sitting up, ready to berate whoever it was that saw fit to disturb what would've been a wonderful sleep, Harry was stopped when Draco, the one who did the disturbing, cut him off.

"I just heard the news from my father." Without any more ado, the blond walked over to the slightly confused Harry and dragged him to his feet. "Also, my mother had returned from her trip. There is going to be brunch served in the dining room in five minutes and she wants you to be there."

Critically looking over Harry's clothes, Draco frowned at the choice of clothes, a pair of comfortable slacks and a white T-shirt, and clicked his tongue. "That will just not do. Come on." With that said, the older boy grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him out into the corridor and into the adjacent room. The raven-haired boy had hardly any time to take in his surroundings, except noting that the room was painted in a nice light blue colour with all the furniture done in various shades of white and cream, before Draco had rummaged through a large wardrobe next to the bed and pulled out an armful of different pieces of clothing.

"Now, try these on. I want to see what looks best on you. Then mother has agreed to take us both shopping so that you can get something that actually fits you, a nice change, wouldn't you agree?" The boy didn't wait for a reply, but instead handed Harry what looked like a black button-down shirt and light grey trousers.

"Why do I need to change my clothes?" Harry protested and refused to accept the garments. "I'm perfectly comfortable as I am, thank you very much."

Draco at first looked surprised, then he rolled his eyes in a very demonstrative manner. "Listen, comfortable is all well and good, but now you're a member of the Malfoy family. It is expected of you to wear clothing that reflects your standing in society. Thus, slacks and T-shirts simply won't do. Mother would have a fit if she saw you like this!"

Now it was Harry's turn to roll his eyes. "And why would she care what I wear? It's not like I'm her son or anything!"

"Not biologically, no, but Lucius basically adopted you and you're now a ward of our family. I see you as my son, just as much as I do Draco." The soft voice from behind Harry made him spin around and find himself face to face with a tall, slender woman with blonde hair and startling blue eyes.

Narcissa smiled and walked over to Harry. "You don't have to believe me, but hopefully, by living in Malfoy Manor, you will come to see that we are not as cold as we pretend to be to people outside of these walls."

Harry was surprised at how gentle her voice was, as if she was talking to a young child who had hurt himself and had come to her for comfort. Something about her reminded him of Mrs Weasley, though she was in no way that bustling and mother-hen-like as the Weasley matriarch. It was strange how, just by the sound of her voice, Harry calmed down. He was used to the strict barking of his aunt Petunia or the well-meaning, but strict orders from Professor McGonagall. It felt strange, but oddly consoling to have someone say to him that she considered him a child of her own, though Harry didn't fully trust her in that regard. She hadn't even met him before, so how could she view him as her son, or even on equal standing as Draco? However, he didn't voice these suspicions and instead silently took the clothes Draco was holding in his hand and walked over to the bathroom door. Draco looked like he was going to say something about Harry being prudish, but a stern look from Narcissa made him close his mouth.

Ten minutes later, Harry had to admit Draco had a point about his fashion sense being non-existent. It was frankly shocking to him how much better Draco's clothes suited him than his own hand-me-downs. The trousers were tight, but just to the point where you could see the outline of his legs and the black shirt seemed to highlight his startlingly green eyes. A small smile appeared on his face as he noticed how his skinny, but nicely toned upper body seemed to fill out the shirt in a way that no other shirt he owned did. All in all, Harry felt fantastic and he opened the door to meet the critical eyes of Draco and Narcissa.

"Oh dear, you look wonderful!" the woman beamed at him and started pointing out how, if only they could get his unruly hair to behave, he would be one of the most attractive young people at the ball. Draco again rolled his eyes playfully at her antics, but made sure that she didn't see it.

"Yes, you look great, Harry! Now, come on! I'm hungry and father is probably getting annoyed at us being late for brunch!" Harry laughed at how frantic the other sounded, but nevertheless hurried after him downstairs and into the great dining room where Lucius was sitting in a nearby armchair reading 'The Daily Prophet'. As soon as the two boys entered, he folded the paper and put it beside him on a small table and rose to meet his wife, as she followed right behind Draco and Harry.

"'Cissa, how wonderful to see you again. It's not been quite the same here without you." Lucius said, barely loud enough for Harry to hear. Narcissa smiled and hugged her husband, before giving him a small kiss.

"It's lovely to be back, dear. Spain was wonderful, but home is where the heart is, isn't that how the saying goes?" Lucius didn't reply, but sent her an almost invisible little smile and, taking her hand, led her over to the table.

This was certainly nothing like Harry had expected the two dark wizards to behave. In his mind, they would be cold, haughty and cruel, nothing like the loving and undeniably happy couple he now watched talk about the things Narcissa had experienced while in Spain. It seemed like Draco noticed his surprise, as the blond just smiled at him and winked, as if to say 'I told you so'.

During the meal, Lucius and Narcissa continued talking together about the various things they had done since the last time they saw each other, ignoring him and Draco for the most part. Harry was kind of thankful for that, as he still felt quite confused. When Draco carefully folded his napkin and asked to leave the table, Harry immediately used the opportunity to escape somewhere where he could sit down and think about all this. However, that hope was short-lived as Lucius nodded, but added

"Yes, you may leave. However, I need you to teach Harry to dance, as I assume he doesn't know how and that will be a skill which is expected of him to know at the ball"

A small groan escaped Harry's lips and Lucius raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Narcissa looked amused as Draco, once again, grabbed Harry's hand and headed for the door. "Come on then, I have a feeling this might take some time."

It certainly did. Two hours later, Harry was still frightfully bad at the waltz Draco had been trying to teach him. The raven-haired boy was currently sitting on the floor where he had ended up after tripping over his own feet.

"Come on, though you're absolutely horrible at this, I will not stand aside to see you make a complete fool of yourself at the ball" Draco chastised him, hands on his hips and slightly dishevelled hair from when Harry had managed to head-butt the blond.

"For Merlin's sake, you can see I obviously suck at this! Can't we take a break?" Harry pleaded and walked over to one of the chairs standing along the walls of the ballroom they were currently practicing in. Sitting down with obvious relief, Harry ignored Draco's protests and chose to take in his surroundings instead.

Draco had told him that this was the room they were going to be holding the ball in, as it was the largest ballroom in the manor. Though most of the house would be open to the guests, the ballroom would be the heart of the party and most socialising would be done here. The lofty ceiling and many large windows seemed to make the room even bigger than it already was and the walls were all done in an elegant cream colour. There were chairs positioned along the walls, so that tired dancers had somewhere to rest themselves before re-joining the party again.

The young Malfoy heir sat down in the chair next to him with a slight huff, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why was Narcissa being so nice to me?" Harry asked, accidentally voicing his thoughts. Draco looked surprised, but then a soft smile made his face light up a little.

"She told the truth earlier, you know. You being here has become more than just politics" assuming his regular haughty tone of voice, he added "and though I cannot understand what they see in you, my parents seem to have become to like you."

"Like me?" Harry asked questioningly, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "They are just doing what Voldemort has told them to, which is to breed me into the perfect husband for him."

Draco sighed and rubbed his eyes, as if he was tired and didn't want to have this conversation. "Listen, I know that you have plenty of reasons to be mad at the Dark Lord, but his ideals and goals are actually really beneficial for the magical community." Seeing that Harry was about to deny this, he quickly cut him off. "Dumbledore has probably filled your head with all sorts of lies about how the Dark is going to wipe out all the muggles and make muggle born our slaves or whatnot. Seriously, that old codger has no limitations when it comes to manipulating the people around him to believe exactly what he tells them."

Harry was surprised at the level of animosity in the other boy's voice and he decided to find out just why Draco seemed so angry with the headmaster. Not that Harry wasn't mad at the man himself, but that was beside the point.

"Just what is it that Dumbledore has done that makes you, Snape and the rest of the pureblood society so up in arms? I certainly can see how he can be annoying" Draco let out an amused snort "but he can't be _that_ bad, can he?"

The blond sent him an incredulous stare. "Harry, that man _stole_ from you, placed you in a house where you were treated like shit and even _paid_ those horrible muggles to do it! How can you still have any sort of trust in the man?"

"Well, it's either believing in him or believing in the guy who killed my parents, which caused me to have to move to the Dursleys in the first place." Harry retorted, the cynicism in his voice surprising even himself.

Draco's blue eyes filled with emotion. "Listen, I'm sorry to have brought the conversation on to this. But whether you believe me or not, the Dark Lord didn't intend to kill your parents. His goal was to inform them of his intentions of marrying you in the future. The fight that broke out was truly unfortunate and absolutely not intended to happen."

Harry felt his anger abate as he watched the other boy's expression. "Hey, I'm sorry too… Didn't mean to be so cynical, but my life has been turned upside down and all I believe to be true is suddenly a lie and vice versa. I'm sure you can understand how confusing that must be."

The Slytherin nodded and offered his hand to Harry. "Peace?"

With a grin, Harry shook it. "Peace."

Harry frantically pulled at the hems of his sleeves, trying to make his newly acquired dress robes to fit him better. Though they were faultless and the height of fashion, Harry couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable in them. It was like being forced into a role which he wasn't suited for. The robes were a deep green colour, almost black, with silver embroidery along the hems. The buttons were small and silver, and the narrow waist seemed to make him look taller and more elegant.

Once again, Harry went over the countless rules Lucius had tried to imprint in his mind. How to properly address the people at the ball, how to carry himself, how to not smile too much, but not too little either. And you shouldn't smile while dancing, Lucius had mentioned more than once, as if he was uncertain whether or not Harry would be capable of this. Some of the rules just seemed completely idiotic to him, for example the one about not standing with your back to the fireplace if someone else was standing close to it? Though he could see how it would be rude to someone flooing into the fireplace, only to be met with someone's ass, there would be no flooing to the ball. Because of safety precautions, as well as it being deemed more becoming, the guests would enter the manor through the front entrance where everyone could see them and where Lucius and Narcissa would greet them. Harry was supposed to be with either Lucius or Draco for the entire evening as the older Malfoy had made it clear that many of the people coming would be after a profitable connection to the Boy-Who-Lived.

Groaning as he thought of how absolutely exhausting it would be to try to fend off politicians who wanted his backing in the next election or over-zealous businessmen who wanted him to sell their products, Harry turned from the mirror and walked over to the windows. It was already dark outside, signalling that the ball would start soon. Placing a hand on the cold surface, Harry thoughtfully bit his lower lip when his thoughts returned to what had been occupying his mind for the last week. The main reason why he was so worried was that Voldemort would be coming tonight. For the first time, Harry would meet the man he was supposed to marry in five years time. It seemed so distant, and yet tonight would be the start of the courting period according to Lucius.

From his lessons, Harry had learnt that a marriage following the old traditions would be preceded by a long period where the couple would get to know each other. This was both so that the two parties would feel secure in each other's company, but also to give their magical cores the chance to fully get used to each other's presence and to start the preparations for the fuse that would happen when they finally made their vows.

With yet another frustrated sigh, Harry turned around to face the mirror again, making futile attempts to make his unruly black hair lie down properly. Draco had even tried to style it the way he usually kept it, slicked back, but that had proved to be a doomed attempt. Resigned to have his hair in the way it usually looked, Harry turned around when the sound of a door opening hit his ears.

"You ready, Harry?" Draco looked every bit the pureblood heir that he was. Blond hair was slicked back behind his ears and it shone in silvery flashes every time the light hit it. His blue eyes were highlighted by his robes, black with light blue embroidery, and the air surrounding the boy was unmistakably that of one who would grow up to become exactly what he wanted to. Harry couldn't help but envy him his confident stride as they headed towards Lucius' study together to receive the last instructions before the guests arrived.

Standing in front of the dark wooden doors to the study, Draco gave Harry a small encouraging smile before he knocked on the door. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. You did well during these past two weeks, I'm sure you have nothing to be concerned about." Harry only managed to make a slightly choked sound, not sounding particularly encouraged by the older boy's words. When given the permission to enter, Draco opened the door and they both stepped.

Both Lucius and Severus were standing in front of the lit fireplace and they turned to face the two boys as they came in. "Ah, there you both are. Now, do you remember your instructions?" Lucius said and Harry almost squirmed under the scrutinizing stares of the potions master and the pureblood wizard. However, he remembered the strict training he had undergone under the watch of both Narcissa and Lucius, so he remained stoic and straightened up a little to better face the two men.

"Yes, Mr Malfoy. I'm stay by your side until Voldemort appears. You are going to introduce us and he will decide how long the conversation is going to last. When we are done talking, I will stay with Draco until the dancing begins."

Lucius nodded and seemed pleased by the dark haired boy's answer. "That is correct. It will be expected of you to dance with the Dark Lord, so you should be paying attention to any sign he gives you when the signal for the dance to start is given."

Though the thought of having to wait for Voldemort's beck and call annoyed Harry immensely, he gave no outward sign of this. Instead, he gave the other man a curt nod and kept his mouth shut. Lucius didn't seem to mind and, with a slight nod to Snape, moved towards the door. "Well then, let's get going. The first guests should be arriving any minute now."

* * *

Harry wanted to bang his head against the nearest wall. He had been smiling and shaking people's hands for the last hour and he had quickly grown tired of the incessant staring, whispering and ingratiating flattery he had been victim to since the first guests had appeared. Well-dressed politicians and business wizards alike, they both tried to get him on their side, to use him in their own little social game of who had managed to get the Boy-Who-Lived to openly support them. For Merlin's sake, he had even almost been tricked into being betrothed to the daughter of a minister in the Department of International Magical Cooperation and only the quick intervention of Lucius had saved from that tricky situation.

One hour in and still no sign of Voldemort. Despite having sworn to himself that he truly didn't care whether the man showed up or not, Harry was growing impatient. 'And here I thought he considered oh, so important that we would meet tonight. Well, he sure is taking his sweet time then!' he thought sulkily as he for what felt like the hundredth time looked towards the open entrance door where guests still trickled in. Draco had disappeared to say hi to some of his friends from Slytherin, Blaise Zabini and Daphne Greengrass had arrived just ten minutes earlier together with their parents. Harry hadn't really wanted to join them, as he didn't know the two other students, but even that sounded more appealing than hovering next to Lucius to impatiently wait for the Dark Lord to make his entrance. However, Lucius had made it perfectly clear that he was to stay by his side until said dark wizard showed up.

Just as the raven-haired boy pondered whether or not to pull a prank on one of the ministers who had been particularly pushy earlier, Lucius stiffened slightly next to him and Harry looked in the direction that the aristocrat's eyes were directed.

A tall, black-haired man had just come through the entrance doors, expensive black robes billowing behind him to create a truly impressive effect. He had an air of self-confidence and power that seemed to draw several people's eyes to him like a magnet, but what truly captivated Harry was the ruby red eyes that seemed to flash in the light of the chandeliers. Voldemort, because it could be none other, made his way towards Lucius with a slight smile on his lips, playing the role of any other pureblood out for Lucius' good impression perfectly.

"Lucius, it has been too long. I'm sorry that I'm slightly late, but work got in the way I'm afraid." Lucius smiled back and shook the hand that was offered him.

"Truly it has been some time, Lord Riddle. I'm thrilled that you could make it tonight."

Harry's breath hitched in his throat when those red eyes were directed at him with a look of endless curiosity and… satisfaction? However, he had no more time to analyse the expression on the Dark Lord's face as the man spoke again.

"So this is young Harry Potter? I of course read about the dreadful situation that Dumbledore was responsible for and I'm pleased to see that you have taken it upon yourself, Lucius, to step in to bring the boy out of that fool's clutches."

Even while talking to the Malfoy patriarch, Voldemort's eyes were fixed on Harry, making the boy slightly uncomfortable. At last a pale hand with long, thin fingers was extended towards him.

"Nice to finally meet you in person, Harry Potter." The silky voice was nothing like how Harry had expected it to be, but he quickly hid his surprise and made to shake the hand offered to him. The moment their hands touched, a rush of magic seemed to travel up his arm and go through his entire being, as if the man's magic had somehow infiltrated Harry's own and become a part of him. Just as quickly as it had happened, the moment was over and Voldemort retracted his hand again and Harry was left feeling quite shaken. He watched the other wizard move towards Narcissa to greet her and Harry couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed that he could no longer feel the other man's magic. The feeling had been intoxicating and, despite feeling like he should avoid the red-eyed man at all costs, he wanted more.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Have any ideas for the next chapter? Please tell me!

I got a lot of ideas for the etiquette stuff from SinoPrisca! She sent me this document called 'A Manual Of Etiquette With Hints On Politeness And Good Breeding' along with some other articles on the topic. If anyone of you are interested, PM me and I'll send you the documents!

I'll be going on vacation this Saturday, so I won't have internet. I will, however, bring my laptop so I should be able to get some writing done! So expect an update within the next two weeks (hopefully)!


	8. Chapter 8

Hi everyone!

I'm finally back from Sweden! No internet connection is a pain, I've noticed, especially when I come home and am faced with 120 emails... Anyway, I got some writing done while there, so here you go! Finally some face to face conversation between Voldemort and Harry. Remember, there will not be any interaction of the more... intimate *wink wink* type until Harry is of age. To avoid having to write out five years of Harry's life, there will be a chapter which will be dedicated to condense this into a more handy format. It will be a while though, as I still have to sort out a lot of different plot twists and such before then :)

Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

Red eyes followed a certain raven-haired boy as he was talking to the young Draco Malfoy and his friends. The boy seemed a little uncomfortable around the others at first, but after Draco had said something to them their originally suspicious glances turned into ones of acceptance and now the four of them were chatting away. Voldemort's eyes narrowed as the girl, Greengrass he seemed to remember her name was, actually bent forward and hugged the slightly smaller boy. How dare she touch what belonged to him?! However, he didn't let his feelings show. He wasn't the Dark Lord for nothing, after all.

Lucius was standing next to him, talking about some treaty with the Goblins of Gringotts or whatever, but he had long since stopped paying attention. It would seem that this ball had attracted some rather… unwanted elements who seemed to pay a little more attention to the Potter boy than Voldemort appreciated. 'They have no business trying to get close to him. They will soon know that the boy is mine and that I do not share my property.'

Make no mistake, Lord Voldemort didn't harbour any disgusting notions of love or affection towards the young boy. No, the reason why he had made the marriage proposal in the first place was because of the boy's _power_. Even now he could feel the tingling of Harry's untrained magic flitting through the air as tendrils of tendrils of intoxicating power. No doubt the boy was rather attractive, or would be when in a few years, but the Dark Lord simply didn't succumb to the weakness that it was to care for someone. Nevertheless, he continued to watch Harry carefully with a look on his face that could only be described as jealousy, though he would never admit it himself.

Just as he was about to turn toward Lucius again to answer one of the man's questions, one of the younger guests at the ball was making his way towards Harry. Voldemort recognized him as an up-and-coming worker in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The man had a certain look in his eye that the Dark Lord disapproved of at once. There was just no way that man was coming anywhere near _his_ Harry Potter. With that thought firmly in mind, he quickly strode towards where Harry was standing, still oblivious to the situation that was quickly turning dangerous.

A tap on his shoulder made Harry jump a little and turn around to be met with a man who looked to be in his early twenties, with a charming smile and slightly wavy brown hair.

"Excuse me, you're Harry Potter, right?" he asked as if he didn't already no know perfectly well. When Harry nodded slowly, still a bit suspicious of every guest at that party, the man positively beamed at him.

"How wonderful to meet you, Harry! I'm Joseph Grimp. I had hoped to meet you at this ball." With a conspiratorial whisper, he leaned forward a little "Truth be told, I'm not overly fond of these stuck-up parties at the Malfoys'. I guess I'm just not sophisticated enough" he added with a playful wink at Harry.

Before Harry had a chance to reply, a hand was placed on his shoulder and when he looked up, he almost shrank back from the livid look on the Dark Lord's face. His red eyes were seemed to glow with a certain dangerous tint and his lips were pressed together, as if he was forcefully restraining himself from doing what he most wanted to at the moment, which probably was rip Mr Grimp limb from limb.

"I trust you are having a pleasant evening, Harry?" he said, facing Harry rather than the now quite confused young man in front of him. Harry only nodded. To do anything else seemed like it could make the situation worse and though he didn't really know Joseph Grimp, Harry didn't want anything bad to happen to him. So for now, he would be careful so as not to further agitate Voldemort.

"I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure of introductions." Voldemort said, now facing Grimp, his features had now morphed into a mask of pleasant curiosity. "I'm Tom Riddle, I'm kind of what you would call a philanthropist." Harry almost choked at that, but managed to keep a straight face.

Grimp still seemed a bit vary of the man in front of him, but reached out to shake the hand that Voldemort had offered him. "Pleasure to meet you, Mr Riddle. I'm Joseph Grimp, I work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"I see you have met my fiancé already." The words took Grimp by surprise and he looked about him as if he was looking for a person who he might have met earlier who could perhaps be the intended of Mr Riddle, but he soon realized who the man in front of him meant.

"Oh, I wasn't aware! Congratulations on your engagement, then!" the brunette said with a bright smile that then seemed to slowly fade away when he remembered the rumours of just who Harry Potter was engaged to. The latest gossip in the Ministry was that Voldemort himself had long had an interest in the young Potter boy and that Dumbledore was hiding more secrets than they originally were aware of. Grimp looked at Harry, who seemed to suddenly be very fascinated by the colour of ballroom walls, and then his eyes rose to meet those of Mr Riddle.

"Yes, your assumptions are correct. Now, I recommend you leave these premises immediately and hopefully we can both go away from this incident no worse off." The threat was evident in the now icy-cold voice of the Dark Lord and Grimp suddenly found himself scampering towards the exit, red eyes following his steps until he had disappeared out the large entrance doors.

Harry had kept his thoughts to himself while the young Ministry worker had been there, but now he turned around to face the other man, annoyance and anger mixed equally in his green eyes.

"What did you do that for? He hadn't done anything to you! There was no reason to threaten him like that!" he fumed, but remembered to keep his voice down so as not to alert the other guests to their discussion.

Voldemort didn't reply, instead he grabbed Harry's shoulder even harder and steered him towards the doors to one of the smaller living rooms in the manor. When the door closed behind them, the Dark Lord turned Harry so that he was facing him.

"Not done anything to me, you say? He was quite obviously after you and you are _mine_. Lord Voldemort does not share his property." Despite the dangerous glare in the red eyes and the hard grip on his shoulder, Harry couldn't hold back his anger.

"I'm not _anyone's _property. You don't own me because we're engaged, I am still my own person with my own thoughts and opinions and nothing you can say or do will ever change that!" he almost screamed and for a moment he was surprised at how easily the anger flowed through him, as if all the resentment and hurt he had experienced because of Voldemort came to the surface at once.

To his surprise, this tirade garnered nothing but Voldemort staring at him with something unrecognizable lurking in his eyes, neither of them saying anything. Harry had a childish desire to try to stare the other man down, but quickly discarded the idea as it was just too ludicrous to try to stare down the most powerful wizard in the world. At last Voldemort broke the silence.

"Despite what you might believe, Harry, I'm not harbouring some ulterior motive in proposing the marriage contract. My ideals have been perfectly clear from the start; I wish to marry you because I see a great potential in you to become a truly powerful wizard." Pausing, the man held a hand out as if to almost touch something invisible floating in the air "I can feel it even now, the almost tangible threads of magic streaming from you in waves. With time, you will learn to control these waves, to suppress them, and only let them out when you wish them to. I want to be the one to stand by your side, to teach you how and guide you as your magic develops."

Emerald eyes narrowed in mistrust. "But you must have some personal motive, something to gain, by marrying me. I don't believe that you would marry me just because you want to teach me how to properly control my magic, there must be something in it for you too."

With an almost imperceptible tug of the lips, the Dark Lord's eyes suddenly glimmered with some haughty contentment. "Yes, you are perfectly right. I gain an invaluable ally. A powerful wizard to stand by my side and rule alongside me. Do not doubt for even a second that this is a privilege I would give to just anybody."

Harry still didn't want to end the discussion, this was a perfect opportunity to get everything he had been brooding over for the last weeks, or even years, off his chest.

"Okay, lets just say it's like that. But what if I don't _want_ to serve alongside you? Your ideals of pureblood supremacy is revolting, it's simply not true that muggleborn or half-bloods are any less valuable than any pureblood heir parading down the halls of their manors. The smartest witch in my year is a muggleborn, she didn't know anything about the magical world until she got her Hogwarts letter."

"Exactly, she didn't _know_! That is what I wish to change. Dumbledore has somehow made it seem like I only want to exterminate all muggles and to greatly control the muggleborn population." Voldemort had started pacing back and forth in front of the young boy, evidently passionate about the subject at hand. "I believe that people born to muggles, but with magical abilities, should be informed about it and have the same opportunities pureblood children have when it comes to learning about magic. It is simply not advantageous for our society to have most of our young only learn of the existence of magic or of Hogwarts when they are eleven, when the pureblood children are born and bred into embracing every aspect of our traditions and society."

Despite himself, Harry couldn't help but agree with the man. How could he? The arguments put down by Voldemort made sense to him and he could still remember his shock and confusion when Hagrid had told him that he was different, that he was a wizard. All the enigmas of his childhood, those accidental spurts of magic, were suddenly explained. Imagine the difference that knowledge would have made if he had known from the start and could perhaps have had a chance of avoiding detection from peers and teachers, not to mention his aunt and uncle? However, he didn't express his views out loud. Instead, he chose to further question the man in front of him, who had now sat down in one of the armchairs and had motioned for Harry to do the same.

"That's all well and good, but how do you intend to accomplish this? By monitoring every single household in Britain to see if there is a magical child living there? And what of the children whose parents are opposed to magic? What if the parents decide to repress their kid's magical abilities rather than encourage them?" Harry suddenly felt somewhat vulnerable as he realized he had just described the attitude of his relatives when it came to magic and how much their treatment of him had hurt him, was _still_ hurting him.

Waiting until Harry had positioned himself in the armchair opposite his own, Voldemort leaned backwards and put one perfectly manicured hand on top of the other. His youthful appearance suited him well, Harry decided, though it was quite obviously a disguise and not how the man actually looked.

"How do you think the Ministry manages to send warnings to wizards who are underage and who, accidentally or not, use magic? How do you think Hogwarts knows who will be her students when they turn eleven?"

The two simple questions put Harry a bit off guard and he could only sputter while trying to find a reasonable answer.

"The answer is that the magic inherent within each child is noticeable to the magical community, the air becomes saturated with magic and this is easily picked up by magic more ancient and complicated for even me to understand. All we know for certain is that every magical child will be detected and registered upon their birth. Even muggleborn." He added when he saw Harry open his mouth in protest.

"And also, I won't ask for your forgiveness for the death of your parents. To apologize would only tarnish their memory. Instead, I will say that I regret it, they were a highly competent witch and wizard and the magical community lost two valuable members that day. However, had not the words of Albus Dumbledore brainwashed them to extent it did, they could still be alive today."

Harry was, quite frankly, at a loss of how to react. The other's words had caught him completely unprepared, so instead he searched Voldemort's face for any trace of trying to placate him or lie to him. The only thing he could find was red eyes staring back into his own green ones, a deeply felt sincerity shining through. To his surprise, Harry became aware of the fact that this was the most human he had ever seen the Dark Lord or even imagined him capable of being. With a pang of realization, the boy had somehow stopped thinking of Voldemort as the Dark Lord Voldemort, the man who murdered his parents, to instead regard him as another human being prone to mistakes as any other. Of course, the man himself would never admit to this and Harry was quite aware of the fact that Voldemort was tiptoeing on the edge between humanity and monstrosity, but despite this he felt himself sympathizing with the older man.

As if Voldemort could see this change of feeling towards him, he rose and offered Harry a hand. Hesitating for just a second, Harry accepted it and was pulled to his feet, his eyes seemingly fixed to those of the other man. After just a second, but what felt like a small eternity to the young boy, Voldemort released his hand.

"You know that poor eyesight is easily fixed by magic, don't you?" he asked with a small smile on his lips, which made his face look friendly and welcoming. "If you want to, I could fix it right now."

Nodding dazedly, Harry took glasses off. Though the offer of making his eyesight better could've been taken as an insult, Harry was honestly happy about the suggestion. Wearing glasses was very much inconveniencing him in everything from Quidditch to just walking in the rain. And if he forgot them somewhere or lost them, he was practically blind and helpless. They made him feel vulnerable and he had more than once wished that his eyes would work flawlessly with just a flick of his fingers. In other words, he was not likely to turn down the offer.

"If you just close your eyes, this will be over in a second." Voldemort assured him and Harry did what he said, though a little tentatively as he would be let defenceless if the wizard tried anything. When he didn't feel anything, he lifted his eyebrows questioningly.

"Is it over? Can I open my eyes now?" A small chuckle reached his ears and Harry opened his eyes in annoyance, ready to yell at Voldemort for making fun of him. However, the words stopped in his throat. He could see, for the first time in Harry's life everything around him was perfectly clear. Had he really been walking around for twelve years believing he could see? That was nothing to how the world now appeared. The colour of the armchairs, a deep red, had so many nuances depending on where the light from the dying embers in the fire hit it. Everything was so perfectly visible and detailed that the raven-haired boy found himself at a loss for words. A single tear slowly made its way down his cheek, but he couldn't find it in himself to wipe it off.

"Thank you." He whispered, not trusting his voice any more than that, but the feeling was not less audible. Voldemort smiled yet one more of those tug-of-the-lips smiles and lifted an arm to wipe the teardrop from Harry's face. The gesture seemed so out of touch from the personality Harry had come to expect from the Dark Lord and it left him even more confused that he already was.

"You're quite welcome, Harry. It was the least I could do."

The moment was ruined when there was a knock on the door and Lucius stepped in, seeming quite annoyed and upset about something. His usually cold and emotionless eyes were dark with anger.

"My Lord, we seem to have an unwelcome guest on the property. He claims to want to see Mr Potter and threatens to cause mayhem if he's denied this."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed, but showed no other sign of being angry at this piece of news. "And who is this intrusive guest?"

Lucius' eyes flickered towards Harry for just a second before once again facing the Dark Lord.

"My Lord, it seems Dumbledore has managed to get him released from Azkaban to be used as a pawn to get Potter to come back in the clutches of the headmaster. Right now, the man waiting in my office is Sirius Black, Harry's godfather."

* * *

*dumdumdum daaaaaam*

Sirius is here! :D *does happy dance* Remember, Harry doesn't know who Sirius is, as he hasn't met or heard of the man before. Harry is starting his second year at Hogwarts in this story, meaning Sirius would still be locked away in Azkaban. However, Dumbledore seems to have been meddling and decided Sirius could be useful after all... Let's see where this leads to!

Also, hope you like the conversation between Harry and Voldemort! Harry is still super confused about how to feel - he's fluctuating between anger and something he still doesn't understand. That Voldemort is capable of showing emtions and behaving like a human being when all he's ever heard is that the man is a monster, will be something that will be confusing him for some time :P


	9. Chapter 9

Hi guys!

I'm so glad most of you enjoyed the last chapter! It's always so much fun to read through your reviews and it really pushes me to keep on writing the next chapter!

Anyway, life's getting busy again as the new schoolyear is coming close to starting... Just looking through my reading list for the coming term is enough to make me want to crawl under the covers and pretend it isn't there. Sadly, that's not an option, so that means that updates might take a little longer than they have up till now! Please bear with me, I'll try to update as soon as I can, but just saying that real life might come in the way of weekly updates.

With that said and out of the way, let the chapter begin!

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'Godfather'. The word resounded in Harry's brain and he was left standing where he was, unable to form any other thought than the fact that he had someone out there who was family, someone who had probably known his parents. But then he remembered Lucius' remark about Azkaban. During his tutoring by the Malfoy patriarch, Lucius had told him about the Wizarding prison and the creatures guarding it. Just the brief and calculated phrasing Lucius had used when talking about it had given Harry chills. And now someone who was claiming to be his godfather had been _released_ from that place? If he was released, than that would mean he had been a prisoner. Worriedly, Harry wondered what the man had done to deserve being subjected to the horrors of the dementors.

Harry was roused from his thoughts when Voldemort growled in annoyance. The sound seemed so foreign to this handsome young man that Harry was suddenly reminded of who this wizard really was. The nice exterior was simply a disguise, a way of hiding from the other guests at Lucius' ball.

"I reckon we will have to talk to the man, then." Voldemort fumed and, with a sudden turn towards Harry with his hand outstretched as if he expected Harry to grab it, raised his eyebrows at the boy. "There is no reason to deny the man his wish. He said he wanted to meet you. Well, I won't stand in the way of that. However." And here his red eyes seemed to darken to an almost black colour "he will do no more than meet you. I know Dumbledore well enough to know that the old codger has something planned with this."

Harry, still very much in a state of hazy confusion, chose to ignore Voldemort's hand and instead walked past him towards Lucius. Voldemort didn't seem to mind too much, however, and followed the two of them down the hallway.

"How much do you know, Lucius? Did Dumbledore send him for a specific purpose or did Black act on his own accord? He always was the impulsive type."

"My Lord, Black seems to have acted based on personal objectives this time, but as Dumbledore was the one who managed to get him released from Azkaban we can't overlook the possibility of the headmaster being the one to pull the strings. Black's way of looking at the world is too single-minded to recognize when he is being used and I suspect that might be the case this time." Lucius said thoughtfully as he quickly walked past the row of portraits on the walls, ignoring the few who tried to ask him what was going on.

It had taken some time to let it all sink in, but now Harry had overcome the initial shock of discovering that he had a person, a living person, who was considered family. His godfather was alive and currently in this building. Determinedly, he turned to Voldemort.

"Is this Sirius Black truly my godfather? Why didn't he contact me during the eleven years I spend at the Dursley's and what did he do to be imprisoned in Azkaban? Also, why does Dumbledore still have the authority to release prisoners? I thought he was thrown out of good society and generally frowned upon in the Ministry."

The Dark Lord held up a hand to stop the onslaught of questions and shook his head, though with an amused twitch of the corners of his lips. "One question at a time, Harry. Yes, Sirius Black is your godfather. He was James Potter's best friend and the two of them were always together while at school. After they graduated, they both became aurors, determined to rid the world of my cause and me. Of course, they were both firmly on Dumbledore's side after years of being brainwashed by that meddling old fool." The last sentence was spat out as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "The reason Sirius Black was imprisoned was because he was framed for the act of betraying your parents. The Secret Keeper of their house was changed at the last minute from Sirius Black to Peter Pettigrew, a snivelling little man who is rather too hasty to abandon all bonds of loyalty if he can sense that he can gain something from it. To make a long story short, Pettigrew told me the location of your parents' house. Black, knowing what must have happened, ran after him and finally cornered him on a busy street in Muggle London. Pettigrew staged his own death, leaving his own finger and a shell-shocked Sirius Black. So the reason why Black didn't try to find you during all those years was because he was imprisoned in Azkaban, charged of the betrayal of his friends, your parents, as well as Peter Pettigrew. Most people in the Wizarding world think he is one of my most devoted Death Eaters."

This whole explanation was given in a detached manner and spoken quickly, like one who had told the same story several times in the past. However, Harry was shocked to find out that a man had been falsely imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit. He shivered involuntarily when he thought of how it must have felt to have everyone around you think that you were the cause of the death of your best friends. It would drive anyone mad.

While they had been talking, they had reached the door to Lucius' study and all of them stopped outside of it. Lucius sent one questioning glance at Voldemort, who nodded, and then the blond opened the door.

The man sitting in the comfortable armchair in front of Lucius' fireplace was thin and haggard, with black hair that reached his shoulders in unkempt, dishevelled locks. He was covered in a wide selection of different coloured clothes, which were all in various stages of disintegration. It was quite obvious that he had wasted no time in going directly to find Harry. But what really was the most striking aspect of Sirius Black was his face. Despite his ragged appearance, his eyes were black and steely, with no trace of madness in them. A narrow, rather emaciated, face seemed to highlight these eyes and made them all the more penetrating. Now these eyes were turned in Harry's direction and they locked with his own green ones. Neither of them said anything, until Sirius, with what sounded more like a whimper than a word, broke the silence.

"Harry?"

Without thinking, without caring about the other two men in the room, Harry quickly strode across the floor and hugged Sirius, who seemed just as shocked as Voldemort and Lucius were. But then tears started forming in his eyes and he wrapped his arms tightly around the lithe form of his godson.

"Finally, finally! Merlin, how I've longed to see you! All those years in Azkaban, just the thought of seeing you, helping you, made me grit my teeth and withstand that hellhole." Now the tears were freely streaming down his face and Harry couldn't help but feel an intense protectiveness for this man that he had just met. The moment was quickly broken when Lucius spoke up.

"Now, Black. You got what you wanted. Now tell us who sent you and what your objective is. I highly doubt that you only wanted to see Harry and then would leave quietly afterwards."

Harry released his godfather, but stood close to the chair, as Sirius had seemed quite distressed when he started walking towards Voldemort and Lucius again. Voldemort frowned at this, but refrained from commenting on it.

"What is it to you, Malfoy, if I want to see my godson? I'm his family, he deserves to live with someone who's known him since he was born and who loves him." Sirius snarled and Harry briefly mused at how much the man looked like an angry dog, with his teeth bared and eyes flashing in anger.

Lucius wasn't fazed by this and chose to eye Black with a stare that seemed to say 'I really can't be bothered with your childish antics, but I'll humour you for now'.

"You seem to be slightly confused as to how the laws work in our society, Black. You are a convicted criminal and thus, you have lost any legal claim you may have had to young Mr Potter. The Wizengamot has recognized me as Harry's legal guardian and, as such, his place is at Malfoy Manor, not in the clutches of Dumbledore."

Sirius sprang to his feet and reached for Harry, who instinctively shrank back from the man's arms. The look of hurt on his godfather's face made him instantly regret his move, but Harry didn't move from the spot he was now standing in. 'I don't know this man. For all I know, Lucius is right and Sirius Black is just a man who Dumbledore is using for his purposes. Dumbledore has already proved that he is untrustworthy, cunning and a liar. Though I'm not going to join the Dark Side without some more reflection, I certainly won't go back to that old man.' Harry thought and a question that had been, up to that point, uncertain, was suddenly clear in his mind. Dumbledore had had his chance and misused it. Now Harry was willing to listen to what the other side would offer and though he wasn't going to just submit to Voldemort's every whim and idea of how he was going to behave and live, he would give them the same chance that he had given the headmaster. As such, if Sirius Black worked with Albus Dumbledore, then Harry would want nothing to do with him until the man changed alliances or distanced himself from that old meddler.

Happy with having made a decision, Harry stepped in between Lucius and Sirius, who now looked ready to throttle the stoic blond.

"I think I should be the one to have the last say in this matter." He said quietly. "I know I'm underage and only a child, but even a child has some idea of what he wants."

"But Harry-" Sirius started, but Harry glared at him which made him shut his mouth quickly.

"No buts. Sirius, I'm truly happy to have discovered I have a godfather. Truly, I am! But I will not go back to Dumbledore's side. That old man has proven without doubt that he does not have my best interests at heart. He lied to me, stole from me and forced me to live with people who couldn't stand the sight of me and made it quite clear that I was not admitted into their 'family', despite our blood relation." Harry had surprised himself by this little speech, it wasn't like him to talk about his past in this way, but his suppressed anger towards the headmaster had started to well up in him and he found himself unable to quench it.

Sirius looked confused at first, but then his eyes narrowed. "What do you mean Dumbledore stole from you?"

The question took Harry by surprise and when he glanced over at Lucius and Voldemort, it seemed that they were also slightly taken aback by the fact that Sirius still didn't seem to know what had been going on with his trusted headmaster. Voldemort stepped forward from the wall he had been leaning against when listening to the conversation between his fiancée and Black and spoke up.

"It should perhaps not come as a surprise to us that you are still ignorant as to what has happened in the Wizarding world during your imprisonment, Black. I hate to break it to you" he said with a tone heavily laced with sarcasm "but headmaster Dumbledore has been removed from his seat in the Wizengamot and is in general disgrace because an investigation into Harry Potter's bank accounts and living arrangements revealed that the headmaster has been steadily stealing from Harry's vault and also paying his relatives to provide him with a roof over his head. Not to mention all the times he has deliberately hidden the truth from Harry when he was questioned." The Dark Lord offhandedly added.

For the first time, Sirius seemed to become aware of the handsome man standing next to Lucius and he frowned.

"Who are you? I can't remember having seen you before. I can hardly see why this matter should concern you." His tone was rather cruel, Harry thought and he opened his mouth to berate Sirius for this rude behaviour towards a man he met for the first time, at least in this disguise, but Voldemort raised a hand to stop him.

"You may not have seen me in this form before, but trust me, we have met before." He said silkily and Sirius' eyes narrowed further, suspicion creeping into them as he carefully took in every detail of the man in front of him.

"And regarding your idea that I have nothing to do with Harry… Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, what happens to Harry concerns me a great deal." While speaking, he walked over to where Harry was standing and draped an arm around the boy's shoulders, while the fingers on his other hand played with some of the black, unruly tresses of hair.

"There is no reason to tease him. And stop playing with my hair." Harry angrily grumbled and ducked out of the man's half-embrace. Having the man be so possessive of him in front of his godfather made him very uncomfortable and he still hadn't consented to this whole marrying business anyway. Voldemort seemed to find Harry's reaction amusing, as he only raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

However, sudden realization had appeared in Sirius' eyes and the expression on his face went from slightly confused suspicion to pure rage.

"Don't you **dare** touch him, Voldemort!" he screamed and lunged for the red-eyed man, who simply flicked his wand, resulting in Sirius flying across the room and hitting the opposite wall with a loud crunch.

"I do whatever I want to, Black. You will do well in remembering that. As to Harry, I am his fiancée and as such, I have a much larger claim to him than you will ever have." Voldemort had been walking slowly towards Sirius with his wand pointing steadily at the man, who groaned and tried to sit up. However, Voldemort's words caused a torn and rather confused expression to appear on Sirius' face, his eyes immediately darting towards Harry.

"What do you mean? Fiancée? There's no way that can be true! James and Lily never signed that contract!" The tone of his voice grew more frantic and panicked as he spoke and it seemed like the shock and subsequent rage he felt at this piece of news gave him the power he needed to stand up.

"That is correct, Harry's parents unfortunately chose to disregard a union which would be advantageous to the whole of Wizarding society and decided that they would continue to place their trust in an old man who never once saw them as anything other than disposable chess pieces." Harry could almost feel the suppressed annoyance Voldemort was feeling, but he didn't outwardly show any sign of this, except a slight narrowing of his eyes.

Sirius opened his mouth as if to triumphantly point out that Voldemort had no claim to Harry after all and that the man had denied this himself, but Lucius stepped forward and interrupted him.

"As Harry's legal guardian, I am also in such a position as to decide on matters concerning Harry. That includes his economy, his education, his upbringing – and refusing or accepting any possible marriage proposals. I have, on behalf of Harry, signed the marriage proposal that the Dark Lord has offered as it is the only way of ending the war without bloodshed or loss of lives on either side. In short, it is a marriage proposal as much as it is an offer of peace to the Wizarding world. With no offence to Harry" Lucius sent Harry a quick, reassuring glance "the Potters were too wrapped in the web of lies spun around them by Dumbledore to realize the potential of such a union."

This seemed to be all too much for Sirius, as he staggered a little and had to support himself by keeping one hand against the wall, but he quickly regained his former energy.

"I don't care what you think you might have the 'legal right' to do, Malfoy, but Harry is _my_ godson and _I _decide in this matter!" He strode towards Harry as if to protect him from the two other men in the room or whisk him away, but Harry had finally gotten enough. With a firm glare at all of the men in the room, he crossed his arms over his chest.

"No, Sirius. You don't decide over me. Neither does Lucius. _I_ decide what I want to do, especially when that choice will directly impact my future. I have never said whether or not I approve of this marriage contract" Voldemort's face seemed to darken as he spoke, but Harry's next words prevented what would've inevitably been a rather ugly scene.

"However, I will not go back to Dumbledore's side. That man has, as I said before, proven himself to be only interested in his own goals and will use any means necessary to reach those goals. Though that is quite similar to what Voldemort does, Dumbledore has chosen to lie and hide the facts while trying to portray himself as a wise grandfather. At least Voldemort is honest about his goals and means of reaching them." As he spoke, Harry had begun pacing back and forth, trying to order his thoughts as he went on. This was the moment when he would have to reach a decision, to stop avoiding the facts and rather face whatever would come with a clear and firm mind.

"On the other hand, I will not automatically join Voldemort's side. For now, I remain neutral. I will watch from the side-lines and choose for myself when I have seen enough to form an educated decision. I will remain here at Malfoy Manor, as the Malfoy family has graciously adopted me and for that I am grateful. From now on, I am my own person, not to be moved about on the chessboard as I have previously been used. I promise that I will make it clear to all when I have reached my decision, but until that point I want to be removed from whatever political game you might be playing."

The last sentence was directed mostly towards Lucius and Voldemort and Harry was both elated and quite nervous about his bold declaration of neutrality. Hell, for all he knew, Lucius could have the legal right to ignore whatever wish he had and just go on with his own schemes. To his surprise, however, Voldemort only smirked and a flicker of approval danced in his red eyes.

"So the little lion has finally bared his fangs? Very well, I see no problem with this arrangement. If that is what you wish, Harry, then I won't stand in your way. However" and here his eyes returned to the piercing stare they usually had "I won't give you an indefinite amount of time to reach a decision. You will have to take a stand before you become of age."

This liberality surprised Harry more than he cared to admit and he could only nod dumbly. While Harry had been talking, Sirius had been quite, but now he again spoke up, although with a completely different tone of voice.

"You're willing to throw away what your parents died fighting for, to potentially join the side that they dedicated their lives to defeat?" his voice was cold, but there was also a deeply hurt look in his eyes that cut Harry like a knife.

With a frustrated growl, Sirius turned on his heel and pushed past both Voldemort and Lucius. Stopping at the door, he turned around and shot a dark look towards Harry.

"I cared only for one thing these past twelve years in Azkaban and that was to finally see you again. Now I've found you, but it seems like I could've just stayed in Azkaban. At least I could've spared myself the pain of seeing Lily and James' son grow up to become a sympathizer of the Dark side." With that, he slipped through the door and Harry was left standing there, hand outstretched as if to stop his godfather from leaving and a barely audible whisper still lingering on his lips, never being able to form the words to stop the one true family he had finally found and just as quickly lost.

* * *

Aaaaaah! Sirius left! What will our darling Boy-Who-Lived do now?

Hope you liked the chapter, I'm thinking of trying to make Harry and Voldemort build a sort of friendship in the coming chapters, but before they can do that, there's a lot of tension and anger that needs to be vented. So what I'm saying is, there might be some angst coming your way! Better be prepared for it!


	10. Chapter 10

Hello everyone!

Glad to see that so many of you enjoyed last chapter! It was fun to include some more tense and angsty stuff in this story!

This chapter isn't that angsty, but there's a lot of emotion boucing around all over the place, so prepare for the very shifting moods of one Harry Potter.

With that said, on with the story!

* * *

The sound of the door slamming shut behind Sirius seemed to shake Harry out of his frozen state and he moved to run after the man, but Voldemort stopped him by placing a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Forget him, Harry. If he chooses to listen to Dumbledore's lies and discards you because of it, he's not worth your time and energy." The words sounded so cold, so hollow, to Harry's ears that he at first had trouble responding to them. However, the anger that had previously been directed towards the memories of how Dumbledore had treated him, was now channelled to deal with the red-eyed man in front of him.

"Don't touch me!" he snarled, green eyes flashing brightly with unspilled tears making them seem even more of a brilliant emerald than usual. "You have no idea what just happen, do you? What you saw was just a man, a friend of my parents, but to me Sirius Black was a piece of the life I could've had, a life where I had a proper family who loved me for who I am! Someone who could've seen me as just Harry, not the fucking Boy-Who-Lived or some useful fiancée."

His anger made him brave and Harry swatted the arm on his shoulder away with an impatient gesture. Lucius stepped towards him, prepared to try to calm the tempers a little, but Harry spun around to face him as well.

"And what made you think you could just sign that contract without me knowing anything about it, hmm?" With one last hateful glance to either of the two men, Harry stalked towards the door and made sure to slam it as hard as he could behind him, before running in the direction of his bedroom, the tears that he had furiously tried to suppress now rolling down his face, obstructing his vision. Reaching the room, Harry quickly shoved the armchair in front of the door to prevent anyone from entering and then threw himself on the bed. Everything seemed so empty now. For one shining, brilliant moment, he had seen the possibility of a new life opening before him, a life where someone who could be both his best friend and a substitute parent, was there for him. To then have that possibility cruelly ripped away from him hurt more than he had ever thought possible.

'I only knew him for such a short time, yet it hurts so much!' Harry thought as he clutched the sheets between his fingers, as if he wanted to inflict the same amount of pain on them as he himself was experiencing.

It seemed like Sirius' face was imprinted on the insides of his eyelids, as that was the only thing Harry could see when he closed his eyes. The hurt and betrayed look, the hateful glare he had shot Voldemort and Lucius before disappearing out the door, the way that tired face had split into a wide grin and his eyes had lit up when he had first seen Harry enter… It was all there and the pictures seemed to be played in loop in his mind. Growling, Harry pressed the back of his hands to his eyes, trying to block out every thought of Sirius Black, though it was a futile attempt.

'I've lost the one person who might've appreciated me for who I am. Voldemort just proved that he is a slimy, inconsiderate jerk. What did he mean 'not worth my time'? Sirius Black is my godfather, so of course he's worth my time!' Harry fumed, the anger previously directed at himself now shifted towards Voldemort. It seemed so long ago that the man had appeared almost human, with the ability to care and sympathize. Harry could still remember the soft look on the man's face when they had talked together in the living room and how, without it having any advantage in it to himself, had fixed Harry's eyesight. Voldemort had seemed… kind, as strange as that concept sounded after having been told from everyone around him that the Dark Lord was incapable of any softer emotions than glee when watching other people suffering.

'How could I've been so stupid as to think he cares for anything other than having the bloody Boy-Who-Lived on his side, to flaunt it in Dumbledore's face that he lost his oh, so precious chess piece.' With a disgusted frown on his face, part because of Voldemort and part because he felt like a bloody schoolgirl, Harry jumped out of the bed and marched into the bathroom where he proceeded to fill the tub with scalding hot water. As the steam steadily filled the room, Harry quickly undressed and carefully lowered himself into the water. Right now he needed to think and to be alone. Everything else would have to come later.

* * *

Voldemort was pacing back and forth, still in Lucius' office. The blond was standing off to the side, carefully watching his Lord. The furious expression on his face told Lucius that it would be highly unwise to interrupt the man in his thoughts.

"How **dare** that little whelp talk back to me like that? It was obvious that Black made his choice and Harry should be smart enough to see that it was the wrong one. If that stupid mutt would rather side with Dumbledore, then the boy is stupid for moping over that. Black is an idiot, but he'll sooner or later realize the truth about Dumbledore and when that happens, he'll probably come crawling back to ask for forgiveness."

Lucius very wisely didn't say anything. It was obvious that the Dark Lord wouldn't appreciate any thoughtful remarks from the Malfoy anyway.

"Why can't he realize that he will be better off on my side, where he will not be lied to or used? His behaviour just goes beyond my understanding. All these _feelings_ running through the boy is impacting his sense of judgment, causing him to make the wrong decisions over and over again."

Voldemort had now stopped pacing and threw himself angrily down into a chair. Though he would never admit it to Lucius, he cared for Harry in a way he never thought possible. During their conversation earlier that night, he had watched Harry as the boy implicitly trusted him enough to close his eyes and completely lay himself at the Dark Lord's mercy. 'Stupid boy, I could've hexed him into a wall and he would've been completely defenceless.' The Dark Lord thought with a sneer, which somehow wasn't as intimidating as it usually was. The brilliant green of Harry's eyes still seemed to flash before his vision and the expression on his face when he realized he no longer needed those glasses… The way his eyes had softened and shone with amazement and hesitating gratitude and how the boy had looked up and smiled at him… Voldemort stopped himself before he fell even deeper into this exploration of the different expressions Harry was able to make. It wouldn't do for the Dark Lord to behave like a lovesick schoolgirl after all.

With a decisive gesture, Voldemort rose from the chair and quickly made his way towards the door, passing a rather bewildered Lucius on the way.

"Where are you going, my Lord?" he asked and quickly added, when red eyes flashed dangerously at him for his daring to ask questions "if you would be obliged to tell me, I mean. I need to make sure to have a ready answer for the guests wondering where you have gone. After all, I'm quite certain that the ball should now reach its end, with the main attraction disappearing and all."

"I'm going to find that 'main attraction' and bring some sense into his thick skull.' Voldemort snarled and with that slammed the door behind him. Lucius sighed, wondering how many times he would have to listen to doors slamming shut that night.

* * *

Hermione was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, seemingly deeply absorbed in a large tome on runes, but she hadn't read a sentence in at least ten minutes. Her mind was occupied, as it had been for the last couple of days, with the missing member of their trio. She remembered her and Ron's conversation with headmaster Dumbledore the day before and for some reason, she had been unable to shrug off a growing sense of unease. Something about the look in the headmaster's eye had alarmed her and she didn't know why. What she had become increasingly aware of, however, was that she needed both points of view. Both Harry's and Dumbledore's. How she was going to accomplish this was yet an undecided matter, but she wasn't the brightest witch of their year for nothing. She would figure it out.

Glancing up from her book, she watched Ron talk animatedly with his younger sister, Ginny. The two Weasleys both wore matching expressions of anger and jealousy, meaning Hermione didn't have to hear them to know what, or rather who, they were talking about. Both of the redheads had been adamant that they were all better off without Harry, though they thought so for different reasons. Ron claimed that Harry only sought fame and glory, gaining it through trampling Ron and his other friends down in the mud, while Ginny was purely jealous though Hermione couldn't figure out why. It was no secret in Hogwarts that the Golden Boy had lost two of his, assumedly, most loyal friends, but people were still unsure about Hermione. After their meeting with Dumbledore, she had been unusually quite, avoiding people for the most part or pretending to be absorbed in books when she couldn't escape the social pressure. She had played along during the meeting with Dumbledore, pretending that she agreed with both the headmaster and Ron, but inside she was puzzled. The Harry she had come to know and love was not the kind of person who would just abandon his friends without a care in the world. Putting her hand in the pocket of her robe, Hermione clutched the letter she had received just a couple of days ago, the day when Harry had been moved to Malfoy Manor, and she suddenly reached a decision.

Closing the book and putting it neatly back in her bag, she rose and made her way towards the portrait hole.

"'Mione, where are you going?" Ron called out after her.

"Just heading over to the library. I need to hand back this book I've been reading." She smiled at him and, when he turned back towards Ginny, she quickly exited the common room and headed towards the Owlery. Hermione Granger was not used to not knowing everything about a topic and, finding this particular subject of her best friend's life sorely lacking in information, she sat down on the floor of the tower, pursed her lips a little and started writing the long-awaited answer to Harry's letter.

* * *

As the steam had successfully calmed him down, along with the warmth of the soapy water he was sitting in, Harry leant his head against the wall behind him. As usually happens after one experiences strong emotions, Harry felt drained and tired, as if the anger and hurt he had been wallowing until then had zapped what energy he had left and now he was only able to mindlessly soak in the tub. During his bath he had been given ample time for consideration, both of his previous life, as he had come to call the time before discovering Dumbledore was a cheating liar, and the future that lay in front of him. Both of which seemed quite depressing to him.

Sighing loudly, he rose and wrapped himself in one of the many thick, white towels in hanging from a rack nearby, and walked over to the mirror to stare at his reflection. Big green eyes looked back at him through his messy, and currently wet, bangs. His skin seemed paler than usual. 'Probably a side effect of living with the Malfoys' he snorted and had to smile, despite himself, at the thought of the porcelain complexion of the pureblood family being contagious. Ruffling through his hair with his fingers, Harry absentmindedly grabbed a shirt and a pair of boxers before heading back into the bedroom, dressing as he walked over to the bookcase.

Throwing himself down into the chair, Harry stared at the books, but didn't really see them. His thoughts were straying and were revolving around that topic which had been the source of his frustration since coming to Malfoy Manor. Which side was right, Dumbledore's or Voldemort's? The only thing he knew for certain was that Dumbledore had lied to him and that Voldemort, though he hadn't lied, was the leader of the Death Eaters and responsible for the deaths of… Harry didn't even know how many had fallen victim to the man's ambitions. There was no question that the man was ruthless, ambitious and not willing to stop at anything to obtain his goals. On the other hand, Voldemort had shown Harry that he was able to show emotions, or at least pretend to. So which side could he side with? As it now stood, Harry decided that he would stay true to his declaration of neutrality and watch the proceedings before making his decision.

Harry was shocked out of his musings by a loud and angry rap on the door and Voldemort strode in without waiting for a reply. Harry squeaked when he realized he was only wearing boxers and a shirt, but Voldemort didn't seem to notice or care. His face was impassive, but his eyes seemed to glow a fiery hot red and Harry suddenly understood just why people feared this man so much.

Stopping right in front of Harry, Voldemort crossed his arms and stared down at the boy in front of him.

"Care to tell me just what you meant by that earlier display of sickening and displaced loyalty?" His voice was low, but there was a hint of threat there, as if Harry had better answer his question or else…

Feeling like evening their standing just a little, Harry rose, but immediately regretted it as he only reached the older man's chest. Drawing his breath, Harry decided to be as truthful as he could and hope Voldemort would understand his reasoning.

"Sirius is my godfather. For all my life I have wanted a family, someone who loved me for who I am and who wouldn't shout at me or ignore me as if my very presence pained them. When I heard that Sirius could be that family, the hope I carried with me for twelve years finally seemed to come to fruition, that the family I'd waited for so long had finally arrived." Harry tried to keep his voice steady, but wasn't able to stop his throat to constrict at the end of his explanation. Voldemort didn't say anything, just stared at Harry with increasing intensity, as if looking for any sign of him hiding the truth from him.

"So when Sirius walked out that door, basically telling me he wants nothing to do with me, my hopes were shattered. The hope I'd been nursing for all my life, just like that, was shattered before my eyes." Unable to keep the anger out of his voice, Harry stared firmly back at Voldemort. "And when you said that he wasn't worth caring about, you basically said that my hope was silly and simply not worth wasting time over. Of course that would make me lash out! You had no business telling me what to feel or think. I am my own person and I have my own opinions which may or may not coincide with your own ideas about the world."

His previous fury had come back as he was talking and the last words were almost shouted at the other man. That Voldemort still didn't show any reaction just infuriated Harry more and he glared at him while digging his nails into his palms.

"So, what are you gonna do about it, hmm? Torture me for daring to talk back to you? Lock me up in my room? Control my life just as Dumbledore did?"

His tirade was cut short when Voldemort, in two long strides, walked over to him and, to Harry's incredulous surprise, wrapped his arms around him tightly. Not daring to say a word, Harry froze waited anxiously for what Voldemort would do next.

"You needn't fear me, Harry. Though you might not believe me, I don't want you harmed and I will certainly not break me own promise to keep you safe. When Black walked out that door, I could see he had hurt you and I only wanted to soothe the wound his leaving left you with." With a snort he added, "Though my way of doing that might have been less than optimal."

Releasing the boy, Voldemort stepped back and looked Harry in the eyes. "You might not choose to believe me, but I honestly didn't intend to hurt your feelings. In my view, it was Black who should be the object of your anger and not me, however, I can see why you chose to unleash it upon me and Lucius."

Harry noticed that Voldemort didn't fully admit he was in the wrong, but chose to focus on the fact that the man actually had, in some way, tried to ask for forgiveness rather than to chastise him for laying the blame on Sirius.

"Thank you." He said quietly, avoiding those piercing red eyes. "I'm still angry at you, but I can see why you said what you did."

Voldemort opened his mouth to address the fact that, in his mind, Harry had no business being angry at him at all, but then thought the better of it and remained silent.

"Anyway, I still stand by my choice of being neutral as to what side to choose, but I would appreciate it if you could teach me more about just what the Dark stands for and how you plan on executing your plans. Though I don't see myself returning to Dumbledore anytime soon, I'm not willing to join the Dark if the things the headmaster told me about you wishing to exterminate all muggles is true."

Voldemort rolled his eyes, something Harry found rather amusing, and shook his head. "I have never said I wanted to 'exterminate' muggles. I-"

A loud rap on the window caused both Voldemort and Harry to turn their heads towards the sound and Harry immediately spotted the distinguished-looking Hogwarts owl impatiently hitting the window with its beak. Hurrying over, he opened the window and the owl flew in, dropped a letter on Harry's head and then flew out the way it came. The raven-haired boy muttered something about insufferable and pompous owls, but picked up the letter, turning it so he could see whose handwriting the address was written in. To his surprise, the well-known orderly hand of Hermione met his eyes and Harry hurriedly ripped the envelope open, eager to read what the girl had to say.

_Dear Harry_

_I'm so sorry that I haven't written you earlier! I'll explain everything, I promise, but first let me answer your questions as well as I can. _

_Headmaster Dumbledore didn't say much about it other than that he suspected Mr Malfoy of having bribed the Wizengamot to both deny Dumbledore a seat among them and also to obtain guardianship of you. According to the headmaster, it's all a plot to get you closer to You-Know-Who so that he can kill you. However, I don't believe that is true. There's something off about the headmaster, though I can't really put my finger on it. The one thing I do know, however, is that you're not the kind of person to just abandon your friends and give up without a fight. If Malfoy Sr. really had forced you to come to Malfoy Manor, I'm sure you would've fought back or tried to contact me, though that might've been impossible if you really were held there as a prisoner. _

_Also, as a magical guardian, Malfoy is forced to treat you with respect and if anything were to happen to you, he would be the prime suspect. That's why I don't believe headmaster Dumbledore when he says that Malfoy is planning to use his guardianship as a way of offering you to the Dark. Whatever you might say about the Malfoys, they aren't that stupid. _

_Anyway. I haven't written you earlier because things are a bit difficult over here at the moment. Ron and Ginny are convinced you're only after fame and fortune and have left them behind to enjoy life as the rich adoptive son of Lucius Malfoy, thus in their eyes becoming just another Slytherin. I'm afraid they both see you as a traitor and they firmly believe in Dumbledore's side of the story. Though I realize this must be a hard blow to you, I just want to say that I will be there for you whenever you need me. I'm not sure what Malfoy has planned regarding you coming back to Hogwarts, but I hope to see you soon regardless! I'll sneak out during a weekend or something if I have to. Honestly, you and Ron has ruined whatever respect I used to have for rules… _

_Please write me back as soon as you can! Hope you're safe!_

_Love _

_Hermione_

Sometime during reading the letter, tears had started falling from Harry's eyes and he had to quickly wipe them away, as they were obscuring his vision. Voldemort frowned, but before he could say anything, Harry looked up with a brilliant smile on his face.

"I still have someone who doesn't think I'm a traitor, someone who has seen through Dumbledore's plots and who's willing to place her bets on me!"

Feeling his spirits rising exponentially, Harry carefully folded the letter and put it in his pocket. His mind was working quickly, trying to find out how to convince the Dark Lord that he should let a muggleborn come visit at Malfoy Manor. Not coming up with any ingenious ways of proposing this, Harry decided that honesty was the best route and so he steeled himself and looked Voldemort in the eyes.

"The letter was from my best friend, Hermione Granger. She wants to know I'm okay and also, she wants to meet me. Can she come visit me here at Malfoy Manor?" with a sly glance up at the man, he added. "After all, after the scene with Sirius I think you owe me a chance to save whatever friendships I still have."

* * *

I don't care what some people think of Hermione, I think she's brilliant, so she's staying! Finally something that goes Harry's way for once, eh?

From this point onwards, there will be a lot of plotting from Dumbledore, a lot of explaining from Voldemort and probably a lot of confusion on Harry's side. Hopefully Hermione will be able to help him out?

Also, what do you guys think? I'm wondering whether or not to go the Dramione route, but it won't play a large role in the story. It will be mentioned and will of course be noticeable when they are all hanging out, but I want to ask you guys whether or not you'd want that pairing.

Hope you liked the chapter! Please review as reviews make me a very happy (and holefully productive) writer!


	11. Chapter 11

Here I am again!

Nothing much to say here, except that this chapter really is the one to thicken the plot and drive the story forward.

On to reading and I hope you like it!

* * *

Harry held his breath while waiting for a response from the still silent man in front of him. Voldemort had not said anything after Harry, rather regretting his decision to be so demanding, had declared that the Dark Lord owed him a favour and therefore should allow a muggle born into the house of his right-hand man. Beginning to think that this silence was just the inevitable 'calm before the storm', Harry braced himself for the rather famous wrath of Lord Voldemort. However, to his surprise, no such outburst appeared. Instead, the older man simply watched Harry intently, as if to gage the level of the boy's determination. Apparently reaching a conclusion, Voldemort sighed.

"Very well. I'll allow your friend to visit you, but only for one day. She showed the good sense of judgment to stand by your side and for that, she has earned some level of respect from me. But don't expect me to be overly friendly to her, I do not intend to spend my day arguing with a twelve year-old about the issue of muggles and muggle-born in Wizarding society."

This granting of his request, or demand really, surprised Harry so much that, before he had time to consider his actions and whether they were appropriate or not, his face split in a wide grin and he hugged the man tightly.

"Thank you so much! That really means a lot to me!" realizing that he was currently _hugging_ the feared Dark Lord, Harry quickly let go of him and stammered "I- I mean, I'll make sure not to get in your way. You'll hardly notice her being here at all."

Harry was too busy nervously fiddling with the hem of his shirt to notice that Voldemort had raised his eyebrows in amusement and that a flicker of a smile lingered on his lips. Nevertheless, when the sound a low chuckling reached his ears, Harry looked up with a rather confused look.

"You don't need to fear me, Harry. I have no intention of harming you or anyone you decide to acquaint yourself with. If you say that this girl is a person in whose presence you like being, then I will make sure you enjoy the opportunity to spend time with her." Walking towards the door, Voldemort stopped at the threshold and looked back with amusement still in his eyes. "Also, I think you've been told this before, but whatever Dumbledore might have told you, my objective is not to eradicate all muggles or muggle-born."

With that, he was gone and Harry was left feeling rather speechless, but also elated that not only did Hermione get to visit him, but Voldemort had shown that he could be quite friendly when he wished to. Shaking the surprise at this revelation off, Harry hurriedly grabbed quill and a bit of parchment, and hurriedly scribbled a few lines.

_Hermione_

_You have no idea how happy your letter made me! I had almost given up any hope of having anyone who'd be willing to play pranks on unsuspecting visitors at the Manor (Draco is just way too insistent on following rules to join me). But we'll talk all about that later. Voldemort said that you could come visit! Though he only said for one day, I'm sure you can come more often after he gets used to having you around. Hope you can come as soon as possible! Send me an owl when you know you can come over and I'll make sure to be there to welcome you when you arrive!_

_Lots of love_

_Harry_

Not having any owl at the ready, Harry left the office to find Draco, who had his own owl in his room.

Walking through the long corridors gave Harry ample time to think about the things that had happened since he was transported to Malfoy Manor. It was only two weeks ago, but it felt like a lifetime to him. Surprisingly, it hadn't taken him long to get used to the house or it's inhabitants. Despite what he had heard from Ron, Lucius and Narcissa were friendly people, though they never showed more than an aloof coldness when in public. Draco had explained that a Malfoy is very protective of his or her family, but they also thought that showing just how much they cared for the ones close to them would put them in an unnecessary risk for having that trait exploited. Politics was a ruthless business and everything could be used against you, even the love of your own family. In the privacy of their own home, however, Lucius and Narcissa were perfectly lovely to each other and Harry thought it rather amusing how much Narcissa doted on Draco. Watching the aristocratic woman play with Draco's hair and call him nicknames, much to the boy's chagrin, just gave them all such a… human feel, which Harry had been unaccustomed to see around him. The fact that Narcissa also saw him as her adoptive son, which also subjected him to rather tedious sessions of her trying to get his unruly hair under control, never ceased to amaze him and he patiently let the woman frustrate herself over the fact that the black tresses never lay still.

Harry reached Draco's room and knocked, entering before waiting for a reply. Looking around, the young Malfoy was nowhere to be seen, so Harry walked over to the perch standing next to the window. Draco's owl happily accepted the bit of bacon Harry had brought with him, and when the boy released it to bring the letter to Hermione, the owl flew with steady and controlled beats of its wings, quickly disappearing out of sight.

Harry stretched and yawned tiredly. It had been a long and taxing day, first with all of the preparations for the ball and then the whole thing with Sirius. Deciding that his bed sounded like a nice place to be right now, Harry turned and headed back to his room. After showering and crawling under the covers, Harry closed his eyes with a contented sigh. Though he was still upset about Sirius leaving him, the fact that Hermione would be coming to visit him and so staunchly supported him, was very comforting and he fell asleep with a small smile on his lips, his last thought wising for the bushy-haired girl to arrive as fast as possible.

* * *

However, when Harry awoke the next morning, he was in for a rather unwelcome surprise.

As he stepped into the dining room, where the rest of the Malfoys, as well as Voldemort, were eating breakfast, all eyes turned to him and Lucius rose to meet him. The worried and angry looks were a telltale sign that something had come up that none of the people there were very thrilled about.

"Harry, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. This letter arrived this morning." Lucius held up a cream-coloured envelope with a rather familiar green ink forming the words 'To Lucius Malfoy, Malfoy Manor. To be read in the company of Harry Potter.'

"I think it is best that you read it yourself, but I doubt you will be very pleased with it's content."

Harry carefully took the letter offered to him and opened the parchment inside. As his eyes scanned the letter, a deep furrow appeared on his brow and he angrily stuffed the parchment back into the envelope, before throwing it on the table.

"Why would Dumbledore want to come here for? To pretend to care about me? Or to try to take me away and put me back with the Dursleys?" Harry impatiently shook his head, as if to clear his thoughts a little.

Voldemort, who had been silently watching Harry's reaction, rose from the table and walked over to the two of them.

"I believe that the old coot wants to ascertain whether or not he still has you in his pocket. The likelihood that Black has already told him of your stance is high and that's why he no longer wishes to waste any time to try to get you back on his chessboard as yet another mindless pawn."

Harry could see how the anger was barely contained behind the red eyes of the Dark Lord and the sight both scared and thrilled him. The way red flashed into brilliant scarlet every time the man was angry, was an intriguing sight. At least as long as that anger was not directed at himself, Harry decided.

Looking down at the paper in front of him once again, Harry carefully skimmed the lines to see whether or not there was a small hint as to what the old headmaster was planning.

_Dear Mr Malfoy_

_I expect that this letter might not be pleasing to read for you, but I wish, as Harry's previous guardian, to ascertain that the boy is being well cared for and treated as well as can be wished for. Spiteful tongues will have it that I have somehow failed in my taking care of Harry and that I have been found guilty in various breaches of trust towards him. Though I don't acknowledge these accusations, I will bow before the decision made by the Wizengamot to make you Harry's new guardian. _

_However, I still feel a certain protectiveness towards the boy and I would be loath to see him go into a home where he will be ill treated. Though I have the utmost belief in your being able to care for a child, I nevertheless would like to see how Harry is adjusting to his new life, with my own eyes. _

_If it is not too much trouble, I can be at Malfoy Manor any time the next three days. I will not demand too much of your time, just enough to meet and talk to Harry for a few minutes. _

_I'll be awaiting your owl._

_Sincerely _

_Albus Dumbledore_

Gritting his teeth at the words 'protectiveness' and him being 'well treated', Harry slammed the letter down on the table with a disgusted look on his face, but didn't say anything. Though he no longer trusted the headmaster, he remembered what Hermione had said about her being wary of the old man's plots and plans, and he wanted to make sure of this himself, to meet the man eye to eye now that the blindfold had been taken from his eyes and he could see clearly how Dumbledore had lied to him. More than that, Harry wanted to know the truth from Dumbledore's own lips and not just take Lucius' and Voldemort's word for it. He was hardly the boy-wonder of the Light anymore, but he had yet to join the Dark in any way.

Raising his eyes to meet Voldemort's red ones, Harry made his decision.

"I want to speak to Dumbledore, let him come so that I can see for myself whether he is the lying bastard you all believe him to be."

Voldemort's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Harry, the man is dangerous. There's no way I'm letting him anywhere near you without protection."

Sighing impatiently, Harry sat down and grabbed a piece of toast which he proceeded to butter with hurried annoyance. "Then stay with me. Dumbledore didn't say anything about being alone with me. Tell him that if he wants to speak to me, he will have to speak to me in your presence."

The Dark Lord seemed taken by surprise at Harry's willingness to talk to the headmaster in his presence, but it was quickly hidden by once more donning a face that was the usual stoic expressionless mask he usually wore.

"I guess that changes matters slightly, yes. Very well then, Harry. I will write to Dumbledore and tell him of your decision, but that he will have no opportunity of talking to you under four eyes. Everything he says will have to be said with me present."

Harry only nodded. He was doing his best to mask any sign of uneasiness, but his stomach was fluttering like a swarm of highly energetic butterflies. Voldemort took his silence as a good sign and quickly cast an _accio_ to summon a piece of parchment and a quill.

Two hours later, Harry was sitting in the library together with Draco, both of them pouring over some large books on Transfiguration that Lucius had made them read through. Though nothing had been said on the matter, Harry had guessed that Voldemort wouldn't be too pleased with the idea of him going back to continue his schooling at Hogwarts. Though Harry loved the old castle like almost nothing else, he also knew that as long as Dumbledore was the one controlling everything that went on there, he would not be safe. That's why he had begrudgingly decided that if Voldemort or Lucius confronted him with the fact that he would either be transferred to another or school or be privately tutored, Harry would not make too much of a fuss about it. At least as long as Dumbledore was headmaster of Hogwarts.

Draco had been sending him worried looks whenever he thought Harry wasn't watching and the raven-haired boy decided that he had had enough of that.

"Draco, what's the matter? Why do you keep staring at me?" he said and added with a mock seductive smile "I know I'm so handsome you can hardly keep your eyes off me, but honestly!"

"No, you conceited twat." The blond said, although with a small blush, but his face soon became serious and contemplative again. Biting his lower lip slightly, a habit Harry had come to know meant that the young Malfoy was worried about something, Draco looked out through the window. "I'm just not sure that you talking with Dumbledore is the best idea."

Harry's eyes softened and he leant forward to place a hand on one of Draco's. "Listen, I'll be fine. Voldemort will be there at all times, there's no need to worry about Dumbledore trying anything with him there."

This seemed to comfort Draco a little, as he looked at Harry with a small smile and sighed. "I know. Geez, I'm sorry. Look at me, being all mother-hen-like."

Harry laughed and was about to comment on what a fine wife Draco would make someone, when the door to the library was opened and Voldemort stepped in. His facial expression was enough for both of them to understand what had happened.

"Dumbledore's here, isn't he?" Harry asked, though there wasn't much of a questioning tone in his voice. Voldemort only nodded and moved a bit so as to make room for Harry to pass by him into the corridor.

"Good luck, Harry!" Draco called out and Harry sent him a thankful smile, before looking up into Voldemort's red eyes.

"Okay, I'm ready. Where is he?"

Voldemort motioned for him to start walking and answered him as they headed in the direction of the less used South Wing of Malfoy Manor. "Lucius has accommodated him in one of the more heavily warded rooms in the house. The South Wing is only used for serious meetings or when doing magic that demands more than just a simple shield charm." Voldemort sneered at the word 'accommodated' and Harry noticed how the man was obviously working hard to suppress his anger. His red eyes were flashing dangerously, but the hand resting on Harry's shoulder was steady and light.

Finally they stopped outside a large oaken door. The handle was not the kind you usually find on doors, but rather a large, round orb placed at the centre of it. Voldemort shot one last questioning look at Harry, but the boy only nodded stiffly. At the moment, he didn't entirely trust his voice not to give away how nervous he actually was.

The Dark Lord grabbed the orb and twisted it, and the door opened without a sound. Entering, Harry immediately spotted Dumbledore, as usual dressed highly unusual, in some rather ghastly yellow robes with red birds sown into the fabric and who moved magically across his clothes. The old man had been humouring himself with watching these birds, but when the door opened, his blue eyes for a minute lost their playfulness and a more cunning look flitted across his face, before he once again looked the image of an innocent old man.

"Harry, my dear boy. I hope you haven't been too confused by the events happening lately?" The headmaster had risen when Voldemort and Harry had come closer to him and Harry noticed how those blue eyes seemed to bore into his own.

Suddenly, the air became thick and Harry could feel something coursing through him, similar to how it felt when he was performing magic, only that this was a hundred times more powerful. It was as if the very centre of his being had started moving, directing itself to protect him from something. Dumbledore looked alarmed for a moment and, with the power of a freight train, images hit Harry like a tidal wave. There was no other way of explaining it. It was as if the images, or memories rather, invaded his mind and insisted on staying until he had looked through them. With a shock, Harry realized that he was looking at what were undoubtedly Dumbledore's own thoughts and recollections.

Dumbledore had staggered a little and pressed one hand to his forehead, with a painful grimace on his face. However, he seemed unable to do anything to stop the flood of memories from entering Harry's mind and he watched in increasing frustration as the boy's eyes were filled with an understanding that could only come from having seen everything.

Voldemort had stepped back a little and watched the whole scene with something akin to amusement in his eyes. Though he wasn't absolutely certain what had caused Dumbledore's Legilimency to backfire like that, because that's what had undoubtedly happened, there was no way he was going to interrupt Harry seeing the truth.

The flood of memories stopped as soon as they had begun and Harry looked at the headmaster with new eyes. Hurt, betrayal, but most of all anger were causing his green eyes to flash dangerously and Voldemort looked with increasing satisfaction how the one he would one day marry closed in on the aged man, who had now sunk down into a nearby couch.

"You lied to me, stole from me, and paid my relatives to make sure I didn't grow up safe and satisfied. All that just to make sure that you would have a willing pawn to fight your battles for you. A perfect little hero who would do your bidding without questioning it." Harry was furious. What he had seen in Dumbledore's mind had convinced him. Lucius and Voldemort had told the truth, but it was even worse than what they had said or even known about. In the memories, Harry had seen how Dumbledore had perverted the minds of other students as well, particularly those of the Weasley family. It pained Harry to see, through Dumbledore's eyes, the look of utter disgust on Ron's face when the headmaster had discussed Harry with him. All of this hurt and anger was now directed at the man in front of him, the one responsible for everything that had been responsible for just about everything in his life.

However, Dumbledore was not known as one of the most powerful wizards for nothing. Though the magic, which had caused his Legilimency to backfire and project his own memories to Harry rather than him reading the boy's mind, had temporarily taken him by surprise and weakened him, he quickly regained his senses. Making a quick calculation as to his chances, the headmaster decided that his best option was, for now, retreat.

Voldemort saw what the old man had planned, and he lurched forward, but it was too late. With one last stare at Harry, Dumbledore turned on the spot and disappeared, leaving Harry with still more frustrated anger and hurt to vent. Voldemort cursed.

"Dammit. I should've known the slimy old goat would have a trick up his sleeve. You can't apparate or disapparate in this room, but of course Dumbledore would know other ways of escaping…" Harry, who had placed a hand on his arm, cut him off. His green eyes were now somewhat calmer, but there was a new look in them that should not belong to a twelve year-old boy, a look of grim determination mixed with pained recollection.

"You were right. I'm sorry for not trusting you on this before, but I think you can understand my reluctance to believe in anything you told me." Without waiting for a reply, Harry walked over to the door.

"I need you to take me to Diagon Alley. I need to pay a visit to a certain bank to find out just how much that bastard stole from me."

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*dum dum dum duuuuum*

Harry finally finds out the truth for himself! Also, I hate Dumbles with a passion, so it's fun to write him as the shitty old man that he is...

Reviews make me a really happy author! Constructive criticism always welcome and if you have any ideas for what you want to see in the story, feel free to shoot them at me!


	12. Chapter 12

New chapter, you guys! :D

Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews! So glad you liked the chapter!

So, hope you like this one too, I will write some more info regarding next chapter at the end, so make sure to read that! Also, the next chapter might be a bit slow, since I'm going back to the UK, and moving into my new apartment (whoohoo!), so it might take a while to get settled in and such. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but just giving you all a heads up that it might take a little longer than what you're used to :)

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Sirius was lying in an alcove, his human form discarded for the favour of his more preferred animagus form. Ever since Azkaban, he never felt completely safe unless he could slip into the relative anonymity of a dog. People noticed a haggard looking man wandering the streets, but nobody seemed to pay any attention to a dirty mutt. Even while here, in Dumbledore's office, Sirius chose to stay hidden in the shadows and await his next move. People generally saw his a crazed madman, but that was simply the image that had been attached to him. Despite being at the mercy of the Dementors for twelve years, Sirius Black was still the man he used to be in all respects.

However, at this moment there were more pressing matters on his mind than his possible unstable mental state. He had arrived at Hogwarts just minutes earlier, desperate to find the headmaster to tell him the horrible news about Harry, but when he had made his way up to Dumbledore's office, the old man was gone. Seeing that running around trying to find him was no use, Sirius decided to stay and wait for him to come back. After all, he himself could use some time to process what had just occurred at Malfoy Manor.

It still seemed inconceivable that Harry, James and Lily's boy, would choose to stand side by side with Voldemort, the man who killed Harry's parents, and oppose Dumbledore, who had only the boy's best interests at heart. Sirius growled deep in his throat when remembering the lies that Harry had obviously been told about Dumbledore stealing and going behind his back, lies which the still gullible boy believed in. Once again, Sirius was hit with a sense of overpowering guilt at not having been there for his godson during his upbringing. If he had only been there to make sure nothing bad happened, Harry may still have been here with him, those green eyes of him looking up at him with a brilliant grin and Sirius would ruffle his hair, just as he had used to do with James.

His musings were cut short when a loud crash was heard and Dumbledore stormed into the office, slamming the door behind him. Sirius' first impulse was to immediately jump out from his hiding place, but the headmaster's facial expression made him stop dead in his tracks. Those usually friendly blue eyes were now filled with such hatred, animosity and pure rage that Sirius, despite all he had seen during his long life as an auror, was shocked.

"That little whelp! How _dare_ he do that to me, who have done nothing but good to him?!" Dumbledore fumed and paced back and forth over the office floor, Sirius still remaining undetected.

"What could've possibly happened back there? My only theory is that their cores must have started reacting to each other and the added power of Tom's magic caused Harry's to lash out, but for that to happen the little brat must have had some rather deep-seated suspicions of my intentions."

Falling down into his high-backed chair, Dumbledore grew pensive and his eyes seemed to emit a light that Sirius found oddly disturbing.

"Now, there can be no doubt that the hold I used to hold on the Potter brat is slipping. I can no longer use him for my purposes, but he might still be of some use yet… I'm sure the youngest Weasleys will be more than pleased at the possibility of slandering the Golden Boy's name a little." A twisted smile had deformed the headmaster's face for but a fraction of a second, but it was enough for Sirius to instantly make up his mind. With the same patience he had used when waiting for his chance to escape Azkaban, he now used to remain well hidden in Dumbledore's office and when the old man exited through some connected door, a mangy black dog slunk out of the office, yellow eyes glittering with some unidentifiable emotion.

* * *

Hardly registering the fact that, not only the two male Malfoy's, but Voldemort as well, were accompanying him, Harry strode through the streets of Diagon Alley. At the moment, he had one objective and that was to find one of the Goblins and see for himself just how much that blasted headmaster had stolen from him. No longer did Harry doubt what Voldemort and the Malfoys had told him about Dumbledore. He had seen for himself, through the old man's own eyes, how he had cheated, stolen, lied and used Harry for his own, selfish gains. Harry could hardly remember the last time he had been this angry with someone, but he hastily put away those thoughts. If he let himself wallow in hatred for the headmaster, then he would get nothing done. Right now, the best thing he could do to get his revenge was to act and act he would.

The raven-haired boy was so singularly focused on the task at hand that he didn't notice how a pair of blood red eyes followed him, narrowing slightly at how Harry's fists clenched and unclenched, and how the boy had clenched his jaw tight. His whole body looked like a strung wire, ready to snap any minute. However, they soon reached the milk-white stairs to the impressive bank, and they all entered.

It took Harry some time to get used to the change of light, coming from the bright day of the outside and into the, though not dark, more dimmed atmosphere of Gringotts. Lucius stepped up and, guiding Harry with a light hand on his elbow, directed them all to a free goblin.

Looking down an exceedingly long and crooked nose, the creature seemed to look straight through Harry, as if he were just particles that could be plucked apart and inspected, but Voldemort stepped forward and bent close to the goblin.

"Listen here, we need a private room. We have some serious matters to discuss. It revolves around someone having stolen from this young man here, and we are very much interested in hearing how Gringotts could have allowed this to go on."

The man hadn't even tried to disguise the threat in his words, and the goblin seemed anxious to defend the honour of the esteemed bank, but then appeared to think the better of it when taking a second look at that peculiar eye colour of the man in front of him.

"Very well, Mr Riddle. If you would all follow me." With a surprisingly agile jump, the goblin left his chair and directed them all towards the back of the room, where a row of inconspicuous doors appeared. Opening one of them and ushering them all in, the goblin sat down at the head of the table.

"So, could you please explain the matter to me? I assure you, Mr Potter and Mr Riddle, that Gringotts is entirely innocent in whatever has been going on and that we are just as interested in catching the perpetrator as you are." With a grim smile, he added "after all, we can't have the bank's honour on the line like this."

Harry leant back and allowed Lucius to explain the whole situation. Despite the fact that he was the one personally afflicted by Dumbledore going behind his back, he still didn't feel up to the task of cleaning up the mess. Never mind how he behaved outwardly, Harry was tired. Not only from all that had happened to him the last two weeks, but also mentally exhausted from the strain of seeing people he thought loved him and cared about him, be revealed as fickle and treacherous human beings. It pained him and there was still a small part of him that wished he had never known anything, that he could've continued to live in ignorance and kept his friends. Shaking his head quickly, Harry tried to clear his mind. There was no use longing for a future that could have been, and he knew perfectly well that despite the pain it brought, he would rather know who his true friends were than to stay by the side of those who only used him for their own gains.

The goblin, Grimwold, had now gotten all the information that Lucius knew regarding Dumbledore's theft, and the creature's eyes narrowed.

"I think I have gotten all the information I need. Headmaster Dumbledore got access to Mr Potter's vault because he was the boy's guardian at the time. As this position of trust has been revoked, so has his access to all belongings of yours stored here at Gringotts, Mr Potter. However, to make sure that nothing of this nature will ever happen again, we can perform a small ritual that will make it so that your express permission must be given before any money or item is removed from your vault. If this is not given, anyone attempting to steal from you will be… severely regretting it." The twisted smile that appeared on Grimwold's face unnerved even Voldemort.

Harry didn't think twice about, but nodded stiffly. "Do what you have to do, Grimwold. I'm sick of people going behind my back."

The goblin nodded, excused himself and disappeared, only to reappear a few minutes later, carrying a small goblet and a knife. Putting the items in front of Harry, he grabbed Harry's arm. "It will be a simple blood ritual, as that is the single-most effective tool for keeping what you own out of greedy hands. I will only need a few drops."

Voldemort looked like he wasn't too happy about the situation and red eyes followed the knife without blinking, the man ready to jump up if he sensed that something was not as it should be. However, this worry of his was completely unnecessary, as Grimwold simply pricked Harry's palm, squeezed out three drops of blood into the goblet, and used the tip of the knife to swirl it together with some substance already in the goblet. Giving a satisfied nod, the goblin disappeared again, taking the knife and goblet with him.

"Well then, Harry. Now that this has been dealt with, do you want to shop for supplies? You need some more material to work on, now that you have learnt the basics of magic during your first year." Lucius said, but Harry shook his head.

"I still want to know just what has been removed from my vault and how much." He said, a steely determination is his eyes that Voldemort couldn't help but find very attractive.

As if he had sensed Harry's wish, Grimwold popped up again, seemingly out of thin air, and bowed slightly. "As you wish, Mr Potter. I happen to have the necessary documents here with me, as I had a feeling you would want the information."

A small stack of papers was handed over to him, and Harry quickly skimmed them, calculating in his head. The result was more positive than he had anticipated. Voldemort raised an eyebrow at him, and Harry handed them over to him to read without a word.

"It seems like Dumbledore only stole a small amount, but there were some items there that I would like to get back." Harry demanded. "First of all, Dumbledore has not informed me that the Potter name is an ancient pureblood line, and that there are estates connected to that name. Are there any other Potters out there or am I the only one left of the line?" He was trying to make his voice sound steady and demanding, but he couldn't deny that there was a small quiver when asking if, despite all odds, he might still have living family members.

His heart sank when Grimwold shook his head. "I'm sorry, Mr Potter, but you are the only heir to the Potter line and estates. However, Dumbledore has only kept this information from you, he had no authority of taking anything from either the estates or the vaults connected to the Potter line. Only the vault left you by your parents has been stolen from."

Harry nodded, but wasn't truly listening. He didn't particularly care about being the heir to a pureblood line or about having more money than he could possibly spend during his lifetime. Dumbledore stealing from him had been a matter of principle, the headmaster had breached the trust, the sense of family, Harry had in the man, and as such, he felt the need to look into the situation. Now that everything had been brought into light, Harry only felt like getting away from the stuffy bank, and back into the light of the Diagon Alley streets.

Draco was watching Harry intently and noticed how his new brother seemed to shrink in on himself and that his eyes seemed glazed, like he wasn't really there, but thinking of something completely different. With a discreet signal to his father, Draco motioned towards Harry, and Lucius seemed to get what was going on instantly. Within a matter of a few minutes, the blond had thanked the goblin for his assistance, made sure that Dumbledore or any other Order member had no access to any of Harry's property, and then they had all walked back out of those white doors. Stopping on the top step, Voldemort again turned to Harry, who seemed to have quickened up a little from the fresh air and light of the outside.

"I'm sure you understand that sending you back to Hogwarts would be a bad idea, as that makes you an easy target for Dumbledore's manipulations." Before Harry had a chance to object, he continued, "I will personally tutor you, either at Malfoy Manor or at Riddle Manor. However, there are some subjects that I feel others to be more competent in teaching you than myself. Potions, for example, is definitely an area where Severus excels and who therefore would prove a more efficient teacher to you than I would be."

"So, I would be going back to the castle for my Potions lessons and then go back to Malfoy Manor when done with them?" Harry asked confusedly, not really seeing how this could be practically possible.

Voldemort nodded. "As Lucius is on the School Board, he is in a position which allows him to pull a few strings. All subjects which I think you would be better of learning at Hogwarts, will be organized so that you will have no problem attending them."

Draco, who had grown tired of just standing around, grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him in the direction of Quality Quidditch Supplies, where a small group had already formed outside the showcase window. Harry laughed and let the blond lead the way, happy to be outside and cheered by the prospect of going back to Hogwarts, despite only for a few times a week and also having Dumbledore breathing down his neck. While at Hogwarts, he would have the opportunity to spend more time with Hermione, as well as Draco. Maybe he could become better friends with Blaise and Daphne, who he had only briefly talked to at the ball, but who seemed like nice enough people once you got to know them.

Voldemort watched the two boys disappear into the broom shop, doing his best to quell the feeling of dissatisfaction he got when Harry left his side. This growing feeling of protectiveness he had for the boy had almost become a matter of concern, but the Dark Lord was not one who would admit to having any other feeling than possessiveness. Harry was _his_ fiancée, and as such, he should stay by his side. However, even he had to grudgingly admit that forcing Harry to stay put next to him at all times would hardly improve the relationship between them.

It confused him, these feelings. For so many years he had been working so determinedly to further his goals and ideas, though he experienced setbacks and failures along the way. He had tried to create Horcruxes, had started quite early on in fact, but while creating his sixth one, the ritual had backfired, leaving him nothing more than a weak shadow of himself. Quirrell had been useful then. Though a weak, blubbering idiot, he was too scared to go against his Lord's orders, and Voldemort had been able to regain his strength while attached to the back of the man's head. Unfortunately, his condition also left something to be desired of his mental stability, and when he finally regained a corporeal body of his own, he had been furious when he realized that his crazed form had tried to kill Harry Potter while searching for the Philosopher's Stone.

After this incident, Voldemort had decided, albeit with much reluctance, to retrieve the pieces of his soul that he had already placed in the various objects of his choosing. Immortality was one of his primary goals, but it could be attained in other ways than making himself an unstable lunatic. The ritual he had gone through to once again become whole had left him unable to do much for weeks, but he finally regained his strength, as well as his ability to feel more than rage, hatred and sadistic glee. Though he was by no means a caring or considerate man, Voldemort was human. What the ritual hadn't undone, however, was his appearance. As if Nature was making a point of what happens when one decides to fool her, Voldemort still looked like a strange human-snake hybrid, with red eyes, no nose and pale, icy cold skin. Thus he still used his disguise when around Harry, at least for now, as he didn't want to scare the boy away.

Shaking himself out of this wallowing in past events, Voldemort quickly began walking down the stairs with an air around him that made passers-by jump out of his way. Lucius hurried after him.

"My Lord, may I ask what you have planned?"

With a sneer, Voldemort glanced at him, but answered anyway. "I have a fiancée to take care of. There is no way I'm letting him walk around Diagon Alley without someone there to make sure there are no pesky Order members around to obey whatever stupid order Dumbledore has given them."

With that, the Dark Lord left Lucius behind, not looking behind him. Because of this, he never noticed the slight, knowing smirk that graced the blond's lips.

* * *

So, this chapter was supposed to deal with the entire Diagon Alley shopping adventure, but I decided that that would simply be too long a scene, and I also think it was kind of natural to end this chapter where I did (though it's kind of a cliffie...) But look at it this way: the next chapter is bound to be all about overprotective Voldie and suspicious Harry, so that's gonna be fun, eh?

Also, wonder what Sirius is going to do now... You'll just have to read the coming chapters to find out!


	13. Chapter 13

Hello, my dear reviewers and readers!

Whew, the last week as been crazy for me! I moved into my new flat in the UK (being originally from Norway, this was quite the move!), and have been without internet till tonight, actually! Though being without internet sure gives you plenty of time to write, so here you get a really long chapter filled with some angst, some character development and a slight twist at the end!

Hope you all like it! Now, I'm off to read the ton of emails I've not been able to catch up on *sweat drop*

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Though Harry was certainly just as interested in brooms, flying kits and souvenirs from the Top Five Quidditch Teams in the country, he found himself outdone by the zealous way Draco inspected each and every object in the show. The blond was apparently trying to ascertain whether or not said item could be either used to bribe less favoured individuals than himself, or if the item was worth more than that, which meant that Draco intended to keep it for himself. Mostly, he would use it to show off. Obviously.

After the young Malfoy had picked up the same broom manual for the third time, Harry tapped his shoulder. "I'm going outside for a bit of ice cream. Want some?"

"I'll be there in a second. Just go ahead and I'll finish up here." However, the way Draco abstractedly looked at a book on correct flying postures, seemed to indicate that him joining Harry at Florean's could take a while.

With a shrug, Harry walked back out into the busy street of the Alley, his nose leading him towards the famous ice cream booth, where he promptly ordered a salted caramel and chocolate ice cream cone, and then sat down on one of the provided seats. Licking contentedly at the sweet treat, he never noticed a pair of red eyes watching him intently from a small alcove across the street.

After a good twenty minutes, Draco finally appeared with a satisfied air surrounding him. When Harry asked what had put him in such a good mood, the boy stuck his nose up slightly, not out of contempt, but mostly out of old habit, and explained.

"You ask me what has me in such a good mood, my dear Harry? Why, I will tell you." Then he proceeded to drag two shimmering miniature brooms from his bag. "These are exact replicas of the Mjølnir 1500, the broom that's supposed to be released next year. It's been the main topic of conversation lately and I'm sure Blaise will turn green with envy at these!"

Harry laughed slightly. "It's so much like you to buy something simply to make other people covet what you have and become jealous of you."

Instead of being offended, Draco smiled slyly. "Well, I'm both a Slytherin and a Malfoy. I have to live up to public expectation, you know?"

They both laughed, and Draco bought himself some ice cream, while Harry watched the people trickle by. Suddenly, he was struck with an uncomfortable feeling that he was being watched. Quickly looking around him, he saw nothing that aroused suspicion, but the feeling was still there. Sensing this sudden change of mood, Draco frowned.

"Harry, what is it? Did something happen?"

"I don't know… It's just this feeling I've got, it feels like someone is watching us." He was still looking around, unconsciously biting his lower lip. With two big bites, Draco finished his ice cream, and rose.

"Come on. Let's find father and the Dark Lord. I'm sure they'd like to know about this." Nodding, Harry followed, but they had only walked a couple of metres when a loud, familiar voice made Harry spin around to face two rather angry-looking redheads.

"Now look what we've got here. Seems like betraying the Light wasn't so hard for you, Potter? Eating ice cream with the son of a Death Eater should hardly be counted as a decent spare time activity, but it seems you didn't get that memo." Ron's face was twisted by the disgusted sneer on his lips, which was mirrored on the face of his younger sister.

Draco stepped forward and eyed Ron from top to toe. "Well, I'm not sure having a piss poor, muggle loving twat of a father is much better. After all, it seems like you have failed where I haven't." At Ron's confused facial expression, Draco continued on. "While you decided to abandon your so-called best friend the moment you heard something that you didn't like about him, I'm not so shallow. I'm not going to behave like a grumpy kid who got his favourite toy stolen from him, if Harry decides to do something which I disapproved of. But you, instead of discussion the matter with Harry, decided to make your own assumptions as to the state of things." With a haughty look over his shoulder, Draco grabbed Harry's arm and the two began walking in the opposite direction of the Weasleys.

To Harry, the next thing that happened seemed to pass by in a blur. The sound of footsteps running after them made the two young boys turn around, Ron running full speed towards them with his face twisted in anger. However, before they had time to fully react, let alone defend themselves, a black shadow appeared from seemingly nowhere, and stood in front of Draco and Harry, wand pointed threateningly at the youngest Weasley boy.

"I do believe that it would be in your best interest to stay far away from my fiancée, Weasley." The voice of the Dark Lord seemed to freeze the air around them, and Ron seemed to visibly shrink before them.

Walking slowly towards the two redheads, Voldemort continued. "If I ever see you two as much as looking at him again, I will make sure that the Weasley family will suddenly find itself missing two members. I have some rather useful dungeons in my manor, where I would find nothing more worth my time than torture you for what you have made Harry go through."

Ginny looked like she wanted to say something, but her brother shot her an at once furious and terrified look, before grabbing her arm and running towards the Leaky Cauldron. Voldemort watched their retreating backs with a small hiss of amusement. However, Harry was less than pleased.

"You didn't have to do that! I know how to handle Ron, he used to be my best friend and he's just upset because he doesn't know everything y-" he didn't get further, because Voldemort had spun around and cut him off.

"Doesn't know everything, you say? Harry, that boy was not trying to convince you to come back to the Light side. You might choose to continue living in your fantasy world where everyone is nice all the time, but the Weasley kid is fully in Dumbledore's palm. There was murder in his eyes when he ran after you."

Harry couldn't think of a fitting retort, and resorted to try to stare the Dark Lord down. Green eyes flashed with hurt, anger and a little of something that was impossible to analyse, while red eyes stared determinedly back. Harry found that he had to break the eye contact first, and he turned away from Voldemort with a rather petulant air.

"Well, I'm sorry for trusting people then. Maybe I should become a cold, cynical person, just like how you are behaving at the moment." He replied, before grabbing Draco, leaving Voldemort fuming behind them.

'So much for saving the kid's life, such an ungrateful little whelp!' he almost spat out, but thought the better of it. His first impulse had been to wash his hands of everything, to let Harry do whatever the hell he wanted from now on, but he quickly changed his mind. After all, the Weasley boy had been Harry's best friend up to this point, and as such, Harry could be forgiven, nay, it was entirely understandable even, that he would trust him and hope that the redhead had forgiven him or thought about things on his own rather than accept whatever lie Dumbledore told him. With a sigh, Voldemort started to follow his young fiancée, though at a much slower pace than they had taken off at. He trusted even Harry not to get into too much trouble in the span of five minutes. Now, he needed a way to make it up to Harry without actually apologizing. If there was one thing a Dark Lord simply _did not do_, it was to apologize for anything, even if he himself could see that he was in the wrong.

'Let's see… What about a gift? After all, this is the courting period, so gifts are in order.' With a rather satisfied look on his face, Voldemort went after Harry, while the image of the perfect gift formed in his head. Oh yes, Harry would be very pleased with this, of that he was sure.

Meanwhile, Harry had stopped, panting from running, outside the large bookshop. Draco was standing beside him looking rather upset.

"What the hell are you thinking, Harry? Running away from the Dark Lord like that? Have you gone completely mad?!" the blond was clearly angry, but whispered the whole tirade so that no one could overhear them.

"No, Draco, I'm not mad, but you have to understand. I just can't deal with the way he just comes in and is controlling and mean, telling me what I can and can't do. It just makes me want to lash out!"

A softer expression appeared on Draco's face, and he put a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, he's not doing that because he wants to control you. I think it's his way of trying to protect you. Though I can understand that you find it over-protective and controlling."

"Protect me? From what?" Harry scoffed "If he was afraid Ron would hurt me, I needn't fear. I can deal with Ron without a problem, after all, this isn't the first time we've fought."

"Perhaps not, but it's the first time Dumbledore has consciously put him against you and now the only thing on his mind is that you are a traitor and needs to be put down. Preferably before you do anything for the Dark side that could get in the way of the headmaster's plans.

Harry sighed and plopped down in a nearby chair. "Oh, I don't know anymore, Draco. Ron used to be my best friend and now he seems to have turned into this mindless robot of Dumbledore's. It just confuses me." He drew his hand over his eyes, and Draco was hit by how old this gesture made Harry seem, like the boy had been forced to experience and witness things no twelve year old would, or should, ever see. He sat down next to the raven-haired boy and drew him into a half-hug.

"Oi, cheer up, little one. We're in Diagon Alley, let's find something fun, why don't we?" Despite himself, Harry had to laugh at the very transparent effort to make him forget the whole thing with Ron, and he nodded.

"Yeah, you're right." He didn't continue, because Lucius had appeared and beckoned for the two to come over.

Hurrying up to the older blond, Lucius turned without saying a word, but looked over his shoulder to indicate that he expected them to follow. Sharing a confused look with Draco, Harry followed until the reached a rather shady-looking alley. The sign on the wall leading into it read 'Knockturn Alley', written in thin, spidery letters. Looking over at Draco for an explanation, he could see the excited, though also slightly apprehensive, expression on his friend's face and he knew that this was no ordinary alley.

"Harry, the Dark Lord has deemed it necessary for you to obtain an untraceable wand. This is because of obvious reasons, I'm sure you understand. We wouldn't want the Ministry being able to trace your whereabouts though your wand."

At Harry's mightily confused expression, Draco sighed and explained. "The Ministry puts a trace on every underage wizard or witch's wand to make sure that any magic performed outside of school will be picked up and reported. They can also find out what the last three spells your wand cast were, in case they have any suspicion as to the nature of the magic the wizard or witch has been using. Essentially, an untraceable wand is a way of going incognito, to disappear from the records of the Ministry where they can't pick up where you are or what kind of magic you are performing."

Deeming that this sounded mighty useful, Harry once more turned to the older Malfoy. "So what is this place, then? It certainly looks like the place you would go to avoid any Ministry officials."

Lucius smirked a little and nodded. "Yes, Knockturn is rather known for its more… shady dealings. Here you will find things that the Ministry would give their best Aurors to obtain." With that, Lucius turned and walked into the darkening streets of the Alley, Draco and Harry scrambling to keep up. Though neither of them would admit so out loud, the back of the Malfoy patriarch seemed to be something to stay close to at all costs, as there were shadows moving along the walls and strange, hissing noises coming from hidden doorways.

Finally, they found themselves standing outside a dingy shop, a large storefront window displaying human heads and arms in various states of decomposition. Harry instantly looked away and tried to quell the nauseous feeling that suddenly appeared in the pit of his stomach.

The inside of the shop was hardly better, but the man behind the counter drew his attention at once. His age seemed impossible to pinpoint, he could be anywhere between forty and seventy-five, with long, black hair that was a little grey at the temples, and piercing yellow eyes, like those of a hawk. He had been busy cleaning what seemed to be human nails when they entered, but quickly put them aside when he saw the older Malfoy.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr Malfoy?" his voice was surprisingly melodious and Harry couldn't help but feel intrigued.

"I want two untraceable wands, Hans. One for my son and one for Mr Potter." When his name was mentioned, those yellow eyes locked on Harry and he seemed to share a knowing look with Lucius.

"I understand. Orders from the top, I gather?" Lucius nodded curtly and Hans disappeared behind some stained curtains covering a doorway behind the counter.

Draco was obviously excited about the prospect of getting an untraceable wand himself, but kept quiet as he suspected any loud exclamations of joy would not go over well with his father. However, that didn't keep him from looking at Harry and making various faces at him, trying to convey his feelings soundlessly. Harry, unable to not feel smitten by the blond's enthusiasm, grinned back.

The sound of the bell above the door to the shop made them all turn their heads, just in time to see Voldemort walk in with his usual air of superiority and nonchalance. Harry wondered slightly why the man had chosen to come here, as Lucius had obviously been out in charge of sorting out the issue with the wands.

'Is he just following me? He must've been watching Draco and me outside of Florean's since he was so quick to stop Ron from attacking us. Has he been watching me all this time?' That thought made him turn away from the Dark Lord in anger, but also with a twinge of hurt. Didn't the man trust him enough to let him walk anywhere without someone to follow him and watch his movements? Or was this some part of a larger plot Voldemort had, to track Harry's every move and later use that knowledge to bind him to something the man had planned. Was this it, then? Just another person who would happily use him as a pawn for their own twisted purposes? He angrily pushed the thought out of his head, but the sense of betrayal still lingered.

Hans came back out from the storage space behind the counter, saw Voldemort, and bowed deeply. "My Lord, what an honour to have you here in my humble shop."

Voldemort didn't reply, just nodded in acknowledgement. Instead, he walked over to Harry, seemingly oblivious to the boy's mood, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Finding a wand shouldn't take too long. Hans is highly competent in finding wands that are perfectly suited to the one you already own." As if on cue, Hans had pulled out a slender, darkly coloured wand from the five or six boxes he had brought back.

"Here, Mr Potter. This should do the trick, I'm sure." Harry used the pretence of taking the wand to slip away from the weight of Voldemort's hand. The moment his fingers wrapped around the wand, he could feel a slight tingling in his fingers that continued through his arm and into his body. The sensation was so similar to when he had first held his own wand at Ollivander's that he nodded determinedly.

"This is it, I can feel it." Hans nodded with something of a satisfied look on his face, before turning his attention to Draco, who by now was almost bouncing off the walls in excitement.

"I'm just going outside for a bit of fresh air." Harry excused himself with, as the pressure of being so close to Voldemort, while doubting the man's motives, had become too much for him and he felt he needed a break. Lucius shot him a strange look, but Harry disappeared out the door before any of them could say anything.

Back outside, Harry took a deep breath to calm himself and slowly walked in the direction leading towards Diagon Alley. Could it really be true, that Voldemort was no better than Dumbledore and that he was being used again? Was he really that naïve, to think that Voldemort could truly want him just as he was? He knew that the man was attracted to the power he had sensed in Harry, but could there possibly be something else? The scene at the ball, when the Dark Lord had fixed his eyesight, came to mind and Harry couldn't help but think that at least that moment had been true. There was no way anyone could fake the look of tender affection Voldemort had had in his eyes.

Suddenly, a sound made Harry look up, just in time to see two burly men run towards him. Instinct took over, and he spun around and started running in the opposite direction, dodging people left and right. Why didn't any of them help him? Instead, they all watched him get chased down the alley with looks of amusement in their eyes, like this was a hunt they could sit back and enjoy without even the slightest twinge of bad conscience.

His flight ended abruptly when he crashed into the chest of someone, and he almost started to panic, before a well-known voice calmed him.

"Good thing I decided to follow you, Harry. You have a certain knack for getting into trouble." Looking up, red eyes met his and Harry forgot the previous troubled thoughts that had plagued him. Relief flooded him and he quickly hid behind Voldemort's back as the sound of running footsteps came closer and the two men came dashing around the corner, only to freeze when met with the burning red eyes of the Dark Lord.

"You dare go after what is mine, vermin?" his voice was soft, but there was a slight hiss to it that made the hairs on Harry's neck stand on edge. Before any of the two had a chance to say anything to their defence, Voldemort flicked his wand, and they both fell to the ground without a sound.

"W-what did you do?" Harry stammered, his eyes glued to the unconscious forms.

"Don't worry, I haven't killed them. Though they had certainly deserved that. They will wake up in a few hours, albeit they will wish they had stayed unconscious." Harry chose not to ask why that was, and instead gathered his courage. He needed answers and now was a good a time as any.

"Are you just using me as Dumbledore was? Treating me as a pawn to meet your own goals? You've been following me ever since we entered Diagon Alley. Am I not trustworthy enough for you?" Surprisingly, Harry could feel himself get more courageous as he talked and he met Voldemort's red stare without a flinch.

"Using you? Of course I'm not using you." Voldemort scoffed and Harry couldn't help but feel relief flooding through him. "And as for not trusting you, it's rather the other way around. I don't trust anyone who is around you. I think I'm fairly correct in my assumption that you wouldn't break my trust in you?"

Harry hadn't been prepared for the question and could only stammer out a "Of course you can trust me." The slight smirk on Voldemort's lips made him feel stupid and juvenile next to this man, which in turn made his anger flash up again.

"But why are you following me everywhere? And while I remember it, what happened back at the manor with Dumbledore? Did you do anything to me to make my magic behave like that?"

Voldemort sighed. "Let's go back to the others and I will answer your questions at a more opportune moment." With that, he placed a hand on Harry's shoulder again, and led him back to the shop where Draco ran to him the moment they were within sight.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, running around Knockturn?! You're hopeless, Harry. From now on, you're not straying one step from me, you understand?" Despite the furious look on the blond's face, Harry couldn't help but laugh.

"Understood, mother." He grinned and Draco only huffed in annoyance.

"Lucius, take Draco and go back to the manor. I have a few errands I want to attend to first and I would like Harry to accompany me."

The older Malfoy nodded, ignored his son's feeble protests, and disapparated. Voldemort turned once more to Harry.

"Come, Harry. There is something I'd like to show you." Without any more explanation, they walked back into the light of Diagon Alley, and Voldemort led him towards the Menagerie, where he the year before had seen Hedwig for the first time. Once inside, Voldemort walked over to a small glass cage and motioned for Harry to follow him. Looking into the cage, Harry discovered a small snake, not longer than his underarm, lying curled up in one of the corners. Its scales shimmered in a glorious shade of silver, with small, scattered specks of red and black.

"She's gorgeous." Harry whispered, deeply fascinated by the way the snake seemed to watch them both with attentive, golden eyes.

"I'm happy you like her. From now on, she's yours."

Harry gaped and turned to Voldemort with an incredulous look. "What do you mean she's mine?" he stammered bewildered.

"I mean that I'm buying her for you. You will find that snakes are excellent and highly intelligent companions." With what seemed like an afterthought, he added "and isn't this what couples do when they've fought? Give each other gifts?"

The meaning behind those words hit Harry almost physically. Could it be that the famous, the unfeeling Dark Lord was apologizing to him? Then he blushed when he realized that the man had referred to them as a 'couple'.

"Thank you." He said, so low that it was almost a whisper, but Voldemort heard him and inclined his head just a bit.

Ten minutes later, they both re-emerged from the shop, Harry with a tight grip on the large basket containing Medusa, his new snake. Without saying anything, a mutual agreement to go back to the Manor was reached, and Voldemort held Harry close to him with one arm as he disapparated them both.

A few hours later, Harry was sitting in Lucius' study, the only other person there was Lucius Malfoy himself.

"So what did you want to talk about, Harry?" the man asked in a surprisingly friendly tone. Before Harry had time to answer, the door opened and Narcissa walked in with a small stack of papers she handed to her husband. Then she walked over to Harry and sat down next to him.

"What is it, dear? You look upset."

Feeling reassured by this display of worried affection, Harry decided to ask them both what had been nagging at him since returning to the Manor.

"Why does he keep following me around, giving me gifts, being all overprotective all the time?" he asked and instantly felt stupid for the way he phrased his question. However, neither Narcissa nor Lucius seemed to care. Instead, they smiled at each other, before Narcissa turned back to Harry.

"Oh dear, you might not believe it, but he does care a great deal for you. What you might see as being 'overprotective' is his way of making sure you're not in danger. Also, since the courting period has started, so has the merging of your magical cores. As the dominant partner, he will want to be close to you at all times, to make sure he can protect you if you're ever in danger." She giggled and Harry turned towards her, slightly shocked that this usually stoic aristocratic woman was capable of such a sound.

"You know, it was the same for Lucius and I. He would never let me in peace, but kept insisting on joining me when I was going to one of my friends' houses for some female heart-to-heart. Poor man, he was forced to sit through hours and hours of it, but he still went." The last sentences were directed at Lucius, who smiled fondly at the memories.

"And you know perfectly well, Cissa, that I wouldn't want to change that even if I had the chance."

Harry blushed and coughed, to show that he was still in the room, which made both the Malfoys laugh a little.

"I'm sorry, Harry. We didn't mean to embarrass you." Narcissa said and smiled reassuringly at him. She opened her mouth to say something more, but the door opened and Draco appeared, looking like he had run through the manor as fast as he could which he probably had.

"Mother, father. There's someone here you need to see." Before Draco had time to explain who this mysterious guest was, a dishevelled-looking Sirius Black forced his way past the blond and walked directly towards Harry. Both Narcissa and Lucius sprung up, wands at the ready, but Sirius ignored them and, to Harry's surprise, fell to his knees and hugged him around the waist.

"I'm so, so sorry, Harry. I should've believed you from the start." He sobbed, his face pressed into the folds of Harry's t-shirt. "Dumbledore is a fraud, a manipulative old bastard. I heard him myself. I was waiting for him in his office, out of sight, and when he came back he was clearly angry about something. In his rage, he was talking out loud and what he said was enough for me. I'm never going back to that filthy traitor again."

Looking up at Harry, Sirius' eyes were bloodshot and his face was dirty from a life on the run, but the look on his face was entirely honest. "Can you forgive me, Harry? For the words I said to you?"

Without a word, Harry sank down on his knees and wrapped his arms around his godfather as tight as he could, ignoring the faint smell of wet dog that clung to the man. "Of course, Sirius. You're family and family always forgive each other."

* * *

Awww, I personally love the last scene! Sirius is back, everyone's favourite mutt!

It was also fun writing Narcissa and Lucius together, those two are just one of the most interesting couples in the canon, in my opinion. So cold in public, but so protective of their family. It's truly heartwarming. :)

Please leave a review!


	14. Chapter 14

Hehey, quick update!

This chapter isn't very action-filled, but there is a lot of explanation. Thanks to **d****ead feather**, who pointed out some parts that demanded some explanation, I have used this chapter to hopefully clear up any vague parts of the story. I really appreciate being called out on plot holes etc., as I'm quite busy in RL and might forget parts. The story is fully written in my head and sometimes I forget that I never really wrote a part down. So sorry to those of you who were confused!

Also, Harry is not a horcrux in this story. Neither does he have a scar, as Voldemort never tried to kill him and Dumbledore never thought of marking him in that way. To him, having the story surrounding Harry was good enough. I never really got a good chance to explain that Harry doesn't have a scar, unless I included a scene with Voldemort 'brushing the black hair away from Harry's clear, pale forehead' or whatever...

So there you go! Hope you enjoy!

* * *

For must have been the hundredth time, Harry turned around in his bed, unable to fall asleep. His body felt strange, like something was pulling away and fusing together at the same time. He had never experienced anything like it before and, though it didn't hurt, it worried him. It had started just a couple of days after they had gotten back from Diagon Alley, actually, it was the day after, now that he thought about it. After having spent hours trying to analyse the reason, Harry had reached the only possible conclusion he could think of. Voldemort must have something to do with it. Suspecting that it had something to do with his magic, Harry's fears that the man was only using him for his own gains had rekindled and now the boy couldn't help but keep a close eye on the red-eyed man, just to see if he could see any signs that would give him away. Of course, no such sign showed itself and Harry was getting frustrated.

With a snarl, he threw the covers off, grabbed his bathrobe and slippers, before heading down the hallway towards Lucius' office. It was still only before midnight, so the man would still be awake. It was strange, Harry mused, how accustomed he had become to asking the blond for advice or help. More often than not, the man would help him, though often through ambiguous words that were intended for Harry to decipher for himself and reach his own conclusions as to what was meant. At first, Harry had been annoyed by this and thought the older Malfoy unhelpful and spiteful, but then he realized that this way of making him think about matters actually was rather helpful. It made him consider the topic at hand from various angles, before drawing his conclusion. Usually, he would've just gone with his gut instinct and dived straight into whatever outcome that led him to.

Knocking on the now familiar door, and hearing the usual, cold 'enter', Harry pushed the handle down and walked in, though only a few steps into the room. Lucius was not alone this evening, on the sofa in front of the fireplace sat Severus Snape, holding what appeared to be a glass of fire whisky in his hand.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting you. I'll come back tomorrow." Harry mumbled and turned, anxious to avoid having to interact with his snarky potions professor. However, Lucius called out to him.

"It's okay, Harry. You were only interrupting a rather brooding silence, one which keeps reappearing every time Severus comes visiting." The pointed tone and look Lucius directed towards the greasy haired man, raised Harry's curiosity.

"Ah, it seems I might've said something unpleasant, my dear Lucius?" Snape smirked and Lucius rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore his old friend, and turned towards Harry again.

"So, what were you wondering about? You never come here unless there's something troubling you."

Drawing his breath, Harry decided that it was best to just say it all outright and get it over with. Hopefully, Snape would keep his snarky remarks to a minimum, though Harry knew that the man enjoyed every opportunity to take a stab at his least favoured student.

"I feel… strange. I can't sleep, I'm stressed and it feels like something is fighting within my body, like a tug-of-war between something outside of me and my own body." Realizing that he had sounded rather childish, Harry nevertheless chose to ignore the rather sarcastic look Snape had shot his way, and kept eye contact with Lucius. To his surprise, however, the blond smiled and placed his head in his palm, supporting himself by his elbow against the tabletop.

"I understand this might be confusing for you, Harry. It's my fault actually, for not telling you sooner, though I didn't expect it to start this early on."

"Tell me what? What has started?" Harry's quizzical look was enough to make Snape stand up with an impatient snort.

"Rubbish, Lucius. It's not your responsibility to feed every single piece of information, information which, by the way, the boy should've found out on his own." Snape's dark eyes met Harry's and Harry was surprised at how little malice he found. He had been used to that stare being full of scorn and, though not hate, passionate dislike, every time their eyes met. Now it was impatient, yes, but he didn't get the feeling that Snape thought him excessively stupid. It was the stare of someone who had explained the same thing many times, and who was loath to have to do it once again. There was nothing in those eyes that signified that the potions master had any active dislike of Harry himself.

"What you are going through, Potter, is the same thing Lucius here went through when he was courting Narcissa, the same thing as every witch or wizard goes through during their courting period." Harry fought to keep a blush from flooding his face.

"This 'tug-of-war', as you so eloquently put it, is simply a matter of two magical cores fusing. Your magic is reacting to that of the Dark Lord's, which will obviously feel strange and uncomfortable at the beginning."

Lucius had now stepped out from behind his desk and walked over to where Harry was standing, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I know that you were rather upset after the trip to Diagon Alley, but the Dark Lord was simply doing what his instincts told him to, which was to make sure you were out of harm's way."

"Yes, I can clearly remember you, Lucius, when you kept stalking Narcissa and me when we were out shopping for courting gifts to you. It was rather tedious to pretend not to see you as you hid behind the corners, thinking we hadn't noticed you." Snape casually remarked, staring down into his fire whisky with an amused little smile on his lips.

To Harry's surprise, the usually stoic blond blushed a little. "You don't have to bring that up here, Severus. I was young and, also, who could blame me?" he added in a rather haughty voice "Narcissa was remarkably sought after at the time, as well as being from an important pureblood family. Of course I had to make sure no pesky stranger tried to woo her behind my back."

Now it was Snape's turn to roll his eyes. "You keep telling yourself that." He shot back in his usual, sarcastic tone. This bickering made Harry smile a little, and he turned towards Lucius.

"So, what you are saying is that I don't have to worry about it? It's just a part of the process? I mean, of the courting or whatever Voldemort and I are doing now?"

"Yes, that's right. Don't worry about it. It will be over in about a week, though your cores will keep merging throughout the courting period. You just won't notice it as much."

Thanking the blond, and with a careful nod in Snape's direction, Harry went back to his room feeling quite relieved that this wasn't all some sort of dubious plot on Voldemort's part. He still felt uncomfortable with the thought that they were courting, that in the future he would be expected to marry this man. However, during the time Harry had come to know the Dark Lord a little better, the man had done nothing that would signify any sort of maniacal personality traits or evil intentions. Though he certainly had proven to be rather overprotective, even at Malfoy Manor, Voldemort had actually respected Harry's wish for privacy when the boy had told him to leave him alone. This was the most surprising aspect of him, as Harry never would have expected a Dark Lord to care about the wishes of a twelve-year-old boy.

Stopping outside the door to his room, Harry paused with his hand on the handle. It was all so much to consider. He was only twelve years old, for Merlin's sake! Yet everyone around him expected him to follow the course they had prepared for him, which included marrying the Dark Lord once he became of age. Though Harry certainly felt grateful towards the man for the things he had done for him during the last few weeks, love was not even a feeling he considered himself capable of feeling for Voldemort. Despite the youthful look he used, the man was old enough to be his grandfather. Surprisingly though, Harry felt like age was the least important reason when it came to the question of whether or not to accept his coming future.

With a sigh, Harry pressed the handle down and walked into his room, as usual heading straight for the window, where Medusa had taken up temporary dwelling. Kneeling down in front of her, Harry relished in the way the moonlight streaming in from the tall windows reflected on her scales.

"I'm so confused, Medusa. There's just too much going on at once and I don't feel like I'm capable of handling it all." He sighed. "I wish you could talk. I'm sure you would make an excellent conversation partner."

What happened next made him start back in shock. The snake looked at him, her golden eyes suddenly seeming full of meaning and emotion. Then she raised her hand and with a hiss, _answered_ him.

"Stupid human. I have always been able to talk. It's just you who have been too narrow-minded to listen to what I have to say." Her voice was arrogant, but Harry could hear that she was quite amused by the situation.

"W-w-why am I able to understand you?! I have never talked to a snake before, why am I suddenly able to?" he stammered and Medusa hissed, as if she was sighing dejectedly.

"You might be my master, but you certainly are not very bright, are you?" she hissed and Harry opened his mouth to interject, but she cut him off. "Never mind. I'll explain it to you. I'm sure you're aware that red-eyes is a Speaker, right?"

Gathering that by 'speaker' Medusa meant having the ability to talk to snakes, Harry nodded.

"Well, since you are going to mate, some of his abilities have been transferred to you. You're correct in that you weren't able to understand us before, but now that you're preparing to make a nest together with red-eyes, you are sharing some of your qualities with each other." The look she was giving him was utterly self-satisfied, as if she highly enjoyed being able to lecture a wizard on what was going on around him.

Harry, who was still slightly shocked, was going to deny even the possibility of this, but then he remembered what Lucius had said earlier. If their magic could fuse, surely some abilities could also be transferred between them, right? Deciding that calm consideration was the best approach in the situation, Harry crossed his legs and once more sat down in front of the snake.

"Okay. Let me get this straight. So because Voldemort and I are going through a courting period, and our cores are merging, I get abilities that he has? Does that work in reverse too?" he asked, but couldn't really think of anything that he had which Voldemort didn't. After all, what was he, a twelve-year-old boy, compared to the most powerful wizard in the world?

Medusa didn't deem it necessary to answer what she obviously thought a stupid question. Instead, she flicked her tail in an impatient gesture.

"Sorry" Harry rubbed his head sheepishly. "It's just that this seems a little confusing to me. I'd never even heard of courting periods being the norm until just a few weeks ago, you know?"

The snake's eyes softened a bit, if you could say such a thing was possible, and she hissed softly. "I understand, hatchling. I will answer your questions if I can, but you should talk it over with red-eyes over there. He will give you much better answers than I can." Her golden eyes had left Harry's and were looking at a point behind his shoulder.

Tensing slightly, Harry slowly turned and saw Voldemort standing near the door. Harry had been so occupied with his discussion that he hadn't noticed the man coming in, and now those red eyes were watching him with something of a mixture between intrigue and shock, though was there also a small sense of pride in that little smile he wore?

Seeing that Harry had discovered him, Voldemort calmly walked over to them and sat down on the windowsill, next to Medusa.

"Should I have waited for your 'come in' before entering?" he said, still with that little smile on his face.

"No, it's fine." Harry mumbled, but shot him an accusing look. "Though it would be nice if you'd do it from now on."

Voldemort was stroking Medusa's head, to her obvious pleasure, and only nodded absentmindedly. Harry sighed dejectedly, before leaning back a little so that he could look the man in the face.

"So what did you come here for? You only come by my room if there's something you want to discuss that you don't want Lucius or Snape to hear."

Voldemort nodded. "You're right, Harry. I thought it was about time that you and I sit down to have a serious talk about everything. I want you to know just what happened in the past, as far as I am able to answer it, and also what should happen from now on."

The sincere look on his face took Harry by surprise, and it took him a few seconds to absorb what the man had said.

"Um, okay? I think I know much of it, but I'm sure you know something that could shed some light on a few murky bits." Thinking it over for a few seconds, Harry then added. "So, I know that you never intended to kill my parents, and that Dumbledore was the one responsible for placing me with the Dursleys."

Suddenly, he remembered something. "But what about last year, with Quirrell? Didn't you try to kill me then? And Sirius, why was he accused of betraying my parents?"

"This was part of what I wanted to explain to you, Harry." Voldemort said and fixed his eyes on Harry's, and Harry could sense the deeply felt emotion behind that stare.

"To be understand what happened last year at Hogwarts, I should tell you what happened after I had to flee from Godric's Hollow that night. I was wounded, as you know, and spent much of my time afterwards in hiding. During that time, I continued an experiment that I had started several years earlier. I was researching how to make myself immortal, and I found a way to do this by essentially splitting my soul into several parts." Voldemort rubbed his forehead with a drained expression on his face, as if the memories of that time annoyed him.

"I didn't understand the process enough, and my mind didn't take the strain of splitting my soul well. I lost most of my emotions, except rage and hate, and though I remembered that you had a special importance to me, I confused the wish to keep you safe with the wish to kill you. The thing on the back of Quirrell's head was indeed me, weakened by my experimentation and crazed with what I thought was my most deep-seated desire; to kill you. It was, honestly, a streak of luck that I, in a lucid moment after having fled Hogwarts, remembered my original intentions. With the help of someone who shall remain nameless, I gathered the objects in which I had placed my soul-pieces, or Horcruxes, and performed a ritual that once more fused those pieces to me."

Harry had been sitting completely still, mesmerized and disturbed in equal part, by what the man was telling him. It didn't once occur to him to doubt what Voldemort was saying, the expression on his face told Harry everything he needed to know. Without making a conscious decision to do so, the boy stood up, walked over to the other wizard, and slowly, as if to give the man time to withdraw, hugged him.

Voldemort froze, but then he placed a hand on Harry's back in a somewhat awkward half-hug.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that." Harry whispered, drawing in the smell that surrounded the man. He smelled just like a forest after a heavy downpour, like pine needles when they are all gathered together in a thick blanket covering the forest floor.

Voldemort smiled and shook his head. "No, Harry, don't be sorry. What I did was a mistake, but I nevertheless went through it knowing that there were serious complications to the process. You have to understand, at that time my most important goal, my only dream, was to become immortal, to conquer death. I have since realized what a juvenile dream that was, but I still will not be pitied for it, as it was my conscious decision to go through with it."

Harry stepped back from him a little, a little embarrassed by having actually hugged the man. "So what about Sirius? Why was he imprisoned for betraying my parents? I mean, he was with Dumbledore when they all came to rescue my parents and me from what they believed was you trying to murder them."

Voldemort rose and started pacing, something Harry had noticed the man did whenever he wanted to either clear his thoughts or something caused him great emotional distress.

"The reason why your godfather was arrested for being what the Wizarding world thought was my second-in-command is Dumbledore. After I left your parents' house, Dumbledore decided he would use the situation to further his own goals. He obliviated the Weasleys and Black, making them believe that I had come to Godric's Hollow only to kill two prestigious members of the Order, along with their young son. He made up a story, which revolved around me trying to kill you, after having killed your parents, but that the killing curse didn't work, and I was forced to flee. The secret keeper to the Fidelius charm surrounding your house had been changed from Black to Peter Pettigrew, and because of this Black went after Peter to kill him. However, Pettigrew, being a slimy, but cunning little rat, tricked Black and faked his own murder. Black was found in a busy London street, in front of the dead bodies of several muggles, along with a single finger belonging to Pettigrew. However, Black never killed those people and the rat had cut his finger off to fake his death. Thus, the Wizarding world drew the wrong conclusions and imprisoned Black. Dumbledore, of course, pretended to do all he could to get Black out, but the truth is that your godfather is a little too impulsive to really suit Dumbledore's carefully planned out scenarios. So, it simply suited our dear headmaster to keep Sirius hidden away. The Weasleys, being avid followers of Dumbledore, never suspected a thing."

Harry felt himself sinking down onto the floor, trying to let the information Voldemort had given him sink in. It was simply incredible how far Dumbledore's lies and manipulations went and Harry felt a new surge of hatred for the man, along with a new level of pity for his godfather, who had been so drained with physical and mental exhaustion that he, soon after arriving at the Manor, had collapsed and was now resting peacefully in one of the bedrooms.

"So the whole 'Boy-who-lived' thing is simply a ruse created by Dumbledore? A way of making me seem like a tragic boy-hero whose ultimate goal is to kill you for murdering my parents?" His voice was thick and his tongue suddenly felt clumsily out of place.

Voldemort only nodded, but then his lips drew back into a wry smile. "But now you know the truth and you're out of the headmaster's clutches. Also, it seems like I now have someone to share the gift of Parseltongue with. The ability to talk to snakes." He explained, when seeing Harry's puzzled expression.

Harry blushed and decided not to comment on that. Instead, he decided to ask the man about something he had been wondering about for some time. "You said that I am to go back to Hogwarts for some of my classes, right? But the term started just a few days after I come to the Manor, and neither Draco nor I have been sent back there. I don't understand why Draco at least isn't back at the castle?"

"You're right about that. However, Lucius is on the School Board and thus has some level of autonomy when it comes to when to send his children to school. If he chooses to delay your return, he is free to do so for as long as he likes."

The political power Lucius Malfoy had never ceased to amaze Harry and he nodded dumbly.

"And from what I understand, you wanted your muggleborn friend to visit before returning to school, right?" Voldemort said, the smile on his face now broader than ever. "I think you should owl her as soon as possible to arrange a day for her to here. After all, you don't want to delay your studies for too long and I have a feeling, if what you have told me about her is true, that she might be a positive influence on your study habits."

With that, he sauntered out the door, leaving Harry with a mixture of confused emotions, ranging from anger to excited joy.

* * *

Dear Merlin, I love Medusa! Such a sassy little snake!

Also, Hermione in next chapter! That's bound to be interesting! :D


	15. Chapter 15

Hi guys! I'm back again!

Aaaah, I'm so excited about this chapter! Massive development at the end, so look forward to that! Also, Hermione is in here and she's one of my favourite characters, so that was fun to write!

Anyway, I don't have much to say except thank you guys so much for the lovely reviews I got for the last chapter! You all just made my day! :D

Now, enough cheesiness from me! On with the chapter!

* * *

Pacing back and forth in front of the large entrance doors, Harry kept glancing at the clock hanging on the wall. He had gotten a reply from Hermione the day before, just after his talk with Voldemort, where she expressed her shock and worry about Voldemort also staying at the Manor. Though having ended her letter with the word 'I will judge for myself when I come over. If you believe he isn't the man Dumbledore said he is, then I'm willing to meet him and try to not have any preconceived notions about what he might be like. However, I can't promise you anything.'

Harry was rather certain that his friend would judge the situation correctly, watching from the side-lines and forming her own opinions, as she usually did, but he also knew that the witch was rather opinionated and stubborn, just like the Dark Lord. Worst-case scenario, they would get into a fight over some issue, and Harry was absolutely certain that, no matter how talented Hermione might be, Voldemort would brush her off like a fly that was annoying him.

A crack coming from outside made him run to the doors and throw them open, revealing a rather dishevelled Hermione next to Snape, who had been ordered to bring her to the manor, to the man's immense displeasure.

"Hermione! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Harry exclaimed and enveloped her in a hug and drawing in the familiar scent of her brown hair. She laughed and hugged him back.

"So am I, Harry. Hogwarts just hasn't been the same without you!" Stepping back from him a little, she looked him over, just like a worried mother might after not having seen her son for a long time. Apparently deeming his appearance acceptable, she nodded contentedly. "I see you're being well taken care of. You're not so skinny anymore and" she added with a wink "I assume Malfoy junior has been partly responsible for your change of attire?"

Ignoring this little remark, he instead took her hand and dragged her inside, completely ignoring Snape, who just sneered in his general direction before heading towards the chambers he used while staying at the manor. The agreement was that he would bring Hermione, Draco and Harry back to Hogwarts in time for the afternoon potions class, and then Harry would go back to the Manor, leaving Hermione and Draco behind in the castle, as they were both regular students and obligated to stay in the castle during term.

"Come, I want you to see my room first!" Feeling much like an excited five-year-old, Harry ran ahead, with Hermione right behind him, until he reached his room. Opening the door, with not a small sense of pride of being able to show Hermione something that completely belonged to him, they both walked in.

"Oh dear, Harry! This is stunning!" Hermione whispered, while her eyes tried to take in all details at once. A sharp intake of breath warned Harry that his friend had spotted Medusa, and he was quick to calm her.

"Don't worry, she won't harm you." He explained, letting the snake wrap around his forearm. "Voldemort bought her for me when we went to Diagon Alley. Her name is Medusa."

Hermione's brown eyes filled with the usual look they got when she was contemplating something, and she bent forward to better get a look at Medusa, who stared defiantly back.

"Hello Medusa. I'm pleased to meet you." This greeting seemed to please the snake immensely, because she looked up at Harry with a satisfied hiss.

"I like this female, she knows her manners." Harry chuckled.

"Well, she is a smart witch, after all." He hissed back before thinking, and only when Hermione looked at him, her eyes wide with shock and amazement, did he realize what he had done.

"Before you say anything, Hermione, let me explain." He said, one arm stretched out towards her in a calming manner. When she gave a feeble nod in return, he gave out a sigh of relief before guiding her towards the armchair, which she plopped down in rather inelegantly.

"First, how much do you know about courting periods preceding Wizarding traditional marriages?" Knowing that asking her a question would make her direct her mental energies more towards answering him than thinking too much over the fact that he could talk to snakes, Harry silently prayed that Hermione would prove the excellent witch he knew her to be. She didn't fail his expectations. With the tell-tale frown she got when trying to remember something she had read, the witch seemed to piece something together.

"When two people, either wizards or witches, are courting, it is essentially for their magical cores to become used to one another's presence. A successful marriage, according to traditional belief, should only be entered into by two people of equal magical powers. If one of the two parties is more powerful than the other, the weaker of the two will eventually have his magical core depleted by the stronger part, resulting in either a loss of magical capabilities or, in some cases, death." At Harry's encouraging nod, she continued.

"In the book I read while trying to gain some deeper understanding of what you are going through, it also said that during the courting period, the two magical cores, if of equal power, fuse and some abilities are given from one part to the other, though this is rather rare. Usually, the fusion causes the two parts to form a link between them, which can alert them if the other part is in danger or is experiencing strong emotions."

Her eyes had, while she was talking, lighted up as if with understanding and she turned towards Harry.

"That's what's happened between you two, right? You-know-who is a famous Parselmouth, and that ability has somehow been transferred to you as well."

Before he had time to answer her, tear started forming in Hermione's eyes and she suddenly hugged him tight, gripping the back of his T-shirt as if she desperately needed it to support herself.

"Oh, Harry! Please be careful, okay? I'm still not convinced that the man Dumbledore, though he has proven himself to be a backstabbing liar, and all the people we know… They all say that Vol-… You-know-who is the darkest wizard of all times, unscrupulous and cunning. That he won't bat an eyelash over killing whoever stands in his way." Looking into his face with those brown eyes, her cheeks lined with tears, Harry's eyes softened as he realized how things must seem from her point of view.

"Shh, Hermione, I'm okay, I promise." He whispered while hugging her just as tightly. "I will give you whatever proof you need that Voldemort, and it's okay to say his name," he added in a teasing manner "is not the coldblooded devil that the Light side has made him out to be. Yes, he is cunning, smart, rather aloof and overprotective to a fault, but he isn't evil. He has very definite views of what he wants and how to get to those goals, but even he would not lower himself to simply be a sadistic killing machine, committing genocide left and right."

Once again directing Hermione to the armchair, Harry knelt in front of her, gripping her hands tightly and looking her in the eyes with what he hoped was an honest and calm expression.

"He has told me of his goals, Hermione, and they are nothing like what Dumbledore told us they were. I truly believe that his idea of the perfect Wizarding society is good and also, that it can be accomplished. No killing is necessary, but Dumbledore and his Order have decided that Voldemort is evil and that he needs to go down. Because of that, blood has been spilled unnecessarily."

While Harry was talking, Hermione had been sitting completely still, except for a few hiccups from crying. When he stopped talking, he watched her anxiously, waiting for something that could give him an idea of what she was thinking.

With a sigh, she broke the silence. "Very well, Harry. I trust your judgment on this, but we both know that the only way I will be fully convinced is after listening to the man himself." She had raised her chin, as in defiance, and her eyes had once again got that steely determination in them that Harry knew meant that nothing could stop her now that she had a tangible goal in front of her.

* * *

At the other side of the Manor, Voldemort was pacing quickly back and forth in front of the large fireplace in his chambers. Today was the day when Harry's friend was visiting, as well as the day where Harry would be going to Hogwarts. Though he would be at the school for only a few hours, Voldemort was anxious.

A troubling restlessness had gripped him all day and he couldn't figure out what the feeling unsettling him so, was. He knew it was connected to Harry, everything lately seemed to have something to do with the boy, but he couldn't for the life of him understand what it was.

With a frustrated growl, he stopped and stared moodily into the glaring flames. Why was Harry affecting him like this? Sure, the boy was rather clever when he wanted to, he was loyal and trusting, even now everyone could see that the boy would grow up to be a very handsome man, but even so there was something about him that went deeper than all that. And Voldemort could not figure out what that elusive 'something' was. Nagini had been watching him from her usual place on his bed and had now seemed to grow tired of his pacing.

"Will you calm down? You're upsetting my slumbering." She hissed, the annoyance clear in her voice. Voldemort only glared at her, which made her look like, if snakes had been able to do so, she was rolling her eyes.

"Come on, how hard can this be? Obviously you want the hatchling, it's only natural to want your mate close at all times." Nagini, quite self-contently, stretched her large, thick body a little, admiring the way her gleaming scales reflected the light.

"It still doesn't explain it all. If possessiveness was it, I would've gone over to Harry's room right now. However, it doesn't feel right to intrude on him now. At the moment, he has someone who matters more to him than –' he stopped suddenly, realizing what he had just said. Was that it? Was he, dare he say it, jealous? Jealous because someone mattered more to Harry than he did, would probably ever do?

With a rather shaky hand, he brushed a lock of hair from his face. He had grown so used to the disguised form he used around Harry that he often forgot to change back into the more snake-like appearance that was his true form.

It simply could not be the case, could it? Because if he was jealous, that meant that there was something more, something deeper than he thought possible.

A knock on his door brought him out of his reverie. Years of practice made him slip easily into an air of nonchalance, and he leant back in the chair. "Come in" he ordered, pushing the revelation he had just reached into the back of his mind. He would ponder about its significance later. However, the person whose face peeked out from behind the door, made him almost lose his calm mask again.

"I hope we're not interrupting you?" Harry asked in that sweet, innocent voice. It took Voldemort every ounce of self-restraint he had from showing just how much seeing the boy at that exact moment impacted him. Instead, he simply shook his head.

"No, Harry. I wasn't doing much, but I thought you would be busy catching up with your friend? I was under the impression that you intended to spend your time with her until leaving for Hogwarts?" Voldemort silently congratulated himself for this smooth shifting of the subject over on Hermione and school, and away from himself.

The boy nodded, before looking over his shoulder and then once more faced him. "Well, I was talking to Hermione about this whole situation with me staying here and you also living here, and-"

With a small sigh, Voldemort finished the sentence for him. "And she is still doubting whether my intentions of being near you are good or not, is that it?"

Harry nodded, with a small, apologetic smile on his face that seemed to wipe away whatever annoyance Voldemort might have felt at being questioned by a twelve-year-old muggleborn witch.

"Very well, both of you come in and I'll answer whatever questions she might have." He conceded, but quickly added "but I don't have all day and you are both to go back to Hogwarts when Snape comes to get you."

Harry, who seemed very relieved at this willingness on Voldemort's part to listen, gestured for the girl to follow him, before he hurried over to the small couch opposite the armchair Voldemort was currently sitting in. A bushy-haired brunette followed him, large, intelligent eyes scanning first the room, then him, with an intense scrutiny. Voldemort was struck at once with the level of perception this young girl seemed to have, and realized that when she grew up, she would certainly be a witch he would want to have on his side. From merely seeing this talk as something he would do just to humour Harry, Voldemort sat up straighter and the possibility of actually seeing for himself just how smart this witch was intrigued him.

After Hermione had sat down next to Harry, Voldemort leant back in his chair and folded his hands, neatly placing them on his knee.

"So, Miss Granger. I understand you have some questions that you are rather anxious to have an answer to?" he said, mostly to break the rather uncomfortable silence that seemed to settle over the room like a wet blanket.

His voice seemed to snap Hermione out of her thoughts, because she startled a little, before nodding quickly.

"Yes, I do. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that until recently, both Harry, me and our… friend, Ron have been under the influence of headmaster Dumbledore. He has told us rather the opposite story of what Harry is now telling me you have presented him with." Voldemort had noticed her pause when mentioning the youngest Weasley boy and drew the conclusion that the boy no longer had the same place in her heart that he might previously have had.

"What I'm most anxious to know, as a muggleborn, is what you, if you were to gain control of the Wizarding world, intend to do about those of us who are either muggleborn or half-bloods. From what Dumbledore has told us, you have a none to pleasant idea of us being somehow inferior or 'dirty' compared to the pureblood wizards and witches in our society." She continued and he had no choice but to admire the poise and seriousness she carried herself with, her face serious, but still eager to know. Despite her age, Voldemort knew that he would regard this girl as someone not to be patronized, but to talk to her as he would anyone he would normally discuss strategies with.

Stopping for a moment to reflect on how to explain his vision of a Wizarding world where muggleborn and half-bloods born into families who were negative to the possibility of having a magical child, Voldemort nodded to acknowledge the validity of her question.

"Despite what Dumbledore has told you, about me wanting to exterminate all muggleborn and to regard half-bloods as somehow 'less than' purebloods, my goals are quite different. I have no problem with muggleborn wizards and witches. What I _do_ have a problem with is them not knowing that they have the gift of magic until they are eleven and receive their Hogwarts acceptance letter. My vision is for the Ministry to have a special branch whose job it is to go out to these families when the child is born and explain to them what they can expect in the future. Explain accidental magic, that their child will go to Hogwarts when they are eleven and that this child will most likely go on to live in this society, mostly cut off from the muggle society where their families belong. In the cases where it is deemed dangerous for the child to live, in cases of extreme prejudice against our kind, the child will be taken in by a magical family and raised as one of their own." Seeing that Hermione opened her mouth to question this, Voldemort quickly added. "However, the child will be informed as soon as he or she is able to understand, that the family they now live it is not their biological one and that the reason for them being moved from a house where they would be in potential danger was only because the Ministry regarded staying there for an extended period of time as a danger to the wellbeing of said child."

Hermione was silent for a minute, seemingly thinking over what Voldemort had said. "I think I understand. So, what you are saying is that you wish for people of magical abilities to be informed, so as to be better equipped for their future in Wizarding society? It certainly makes senses, given that pureblood families have an advantage in that respect, and that pureblood children grow up being fully aware of the workings of the magical world." Glancing over at Harry, she continued. "I can only speak for myself, but I'm sure Harry went through the same as me, the confusion of being able to do things that you couldn't logically explain, having your parents look at you with worry, of doubting yourself because something was happening to you and you didn't know why… And then you receive a letter, which promptly tells you that you are a witch or wizard and that you are to attend this school of magic for the next seven years… To tell you the truth, it was all very overwhelming and it took much time for me to realize that the future I had envisioned for myself, a life of relative normalcy, was no longer plausible and that I would have to rearrange my view of the world. Suddenly, the stuff of fairy tales came true. I frankly had no idea how to deal with it at first and as such resorted to the first thing I could think of, to read as much as I could about the subject of magic and how the Wizarding world works."

If he had to be honest, Voldemort was surprised at how easily she seemed to accept his explanation and that she, as far as he could see, essentially agreed with him in his vision. Harry had been quiet this whole time, eagerly looking from Voldemort to Hermione and then back to Voldemort again. It was rather endearing, really, how he seemed so anxious for them to get along.

"So, say I accept that you have no intention of turning the Wizarding world into a class system where muggleborn are essentially excluded from society. How would you go about accomplishing your goals? I assume you would use the same system the Ministry now uses to detect magic?"

Voldemort was taken aback, but then nodded, pleased with how this girl had grasped how the inner workings of the Ministry functioned and how easily they could really pick up when a child of magical abilities was born.

With a satisfied nod, Hermione rose from the couch. "I can't say I trust you one hundred percent yet, but I know that Harry does and that I can trust his judgment." With a small, yet honest smile, she continued. "I will think about what you've told me and view things from the side-lines for a while before I reach any conclusion, but I can assure you that me going back to Dumbledore after what he did to Harry is absolutely out of the question. I might not be on your side, but I am on Harry's side, and if he trusts you, so will I try to do the same."

She walked towards the door, and when Harry rose to follow her, she waved a hand at him. "No, Harry, I think you and V-Voldemort will want to talk for a bit before you go to Hogwarts. I want to think over what we've just discussed anyway." With what Voldemort could've sworn was a small wink in his direction, the girl disappeared out the door, leaving Harry and him surrounded by a slightly awkward silence.

"So, what did you think? I told you she was bright." Harry exclaimed and looked at him with an excited grin on his face.

"And so you were right. I'm very happy that she is standing by your side, Harry. I'm certain having her as a supporter will prove to be very valuable, both now and in the future."

The pleased look on Harry's face was more than enough for Voldemort and he decided there and then that if praising Harry's friends would garner this reaction, then he would make sure to praise them more often. The feeling from earlier once more sprung up in his chest.

"Are you okay? You look thoughtful." Harry's words made him look up, meeting those worried green eyes seemed to just further agitate him. Merlin, why did these newfound feelings he was experiencing make this so confusing? It had been decades since he last knew how to feel anything and now it was all coming back to him. To say it was disconcerting was putting it mildly.

With a groan of impatience, mostly with himself, Voldemort rose from the chair and walked over to the window, hands behind his back, while trying to compose himself. However, Harry, who had no idea what was going on and who was worried about there being something wrong with the Dark Lord, followed him.

A light hand on his elbow made Voldemort start and look down once again into emerald depths of concern and worry. "Are you okay, Voldemort? Did anything happen just now with Hermione? Did she say anything that you're upset about?"

This endless questioning, about Hermione no less, by the one person who lately seemed to occupy his mind from the moment he woke up till the moment his head hit the pillow at night, caused him to finally snap.

He snatched his arm away from Harry's hand and stared at him, his red eyes overflowing with, to him, foreign emotions ranging from anger, frustration, elation, but also a little bit of something else.

"You really do not get it, do you Harry?" his voice was a whisper, as if his entire being was fighting against admitting to feeling anything out loud.

Cocking his head to the side, Harry just watched him confusedly. "Get what? I can't understand if you don't tell me anything! You just go off on these random bursts of emotion and I have no idea how to handle that!" Now it was Harry's turn to glare at him, green eyes staring defiantly into flinty red ones.

"I'm sure you think this whole marriage proposal is just a political move on my part, don't you? I guess you never even considered the possibility of there being anything more to it than that! Never even considered that I might actually have feelings and that marrying you when you turn seventeen, the day you become of age, will be a day I long for so much that it is almost painful."

Realization dawned on Harry's face and the boy stepped away from the man in front of him. Voldemort turned away and stalked towards the door, stopping just long enough for the words 'You never even considered that I might just love you', to reach Harry, but before the raven-haired boy had any opportunity to reply, the man was gone and he was left standing in the office, Nagini watching him curiously from where she was lying near the fireplace. Only her eyes saw how Harry slowly fell to his knees with a stupefied expression and how his eyes seemed to reflect all the turmoil of emotion on the inside. Then, with a sudden jolt of determined energy, Harry sprung up and ran after Voldemort, for once planning on actually getting to the bottom of the enigma that was his fiancée.

* * *

*GASP!* Confession! I know some of you might be uncomfortable with the fact that Harry is only twelve, but this is the only way for me to keep this story relatively short (I have no plans of turning this into an epic story with 100+ chapters), while still trying to show how their relationship is evolving. Also, there will be no sexual interaction until Harry is much older. If I do decide to include some underage sexual scenes (more than kissing) I will place warnings both at the top of the chapter, as well as before the scene itself.

Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter! Looking forward to hear what your responses will be! (whispers quietly: please don't flame too hard!)


	16. Chapter 16

Yah-hoo everyone! I'm back with another chapter for you!

Haha, I'm sorry about leaving the previous chapter on such a horrible cliff-hanger, but I make it up to you in this one! Plenty of fluff to go around here! Also, some more Hermione, since I'm sure we all agree she's awesome and deserves more of the spotlight ;)

Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Voldemort found himself reaching his office in record time, throwing the door open and slamming it shut behind him. Small bursts of uncontrolled magic caused several small glass vials on the bookshelf to burst into small glittering fragments, which somehow made him even angrier.

Just why did he suddenly feel the need to confess to Harry? He hadn't even been aware of such feelings till the moment he voiced them out loud, thus having no option of taking his words back again. Unless he chose to Obliviate Harry, but that was out of the question. Never would he become so desperate as to wipe the boy's memory, that much he owed the brat.

A pile of papers on his desk went flying when he swiped at them with a furious motion, feeling some satisfaction in the chaos he was causing. Of all the times to tell Harry how he felt, why did he have to do it on the day when both his friend was there _and _Harry was going away to Hogwarts for the rest of the day? Maybe the physical distance between them would be beneficial, enable them to carefully think through their responses the other's question, but somehow he felt that not having Harry close by would just further frustrate him. Just when had he become so dependant on always seeing that mop of black hair, passing by him in the hallways or casually talking to him at mealtimes?

Before Voldemort had the chance to further rip his office to shreds, bit by bit, the door flew open and Harry burst in, slamming the door in just the same way that Voldemort had done, just moments earlier.

"Don't you just run off on me, Mr All-Powerful-Dark-Lord!" the boy almost hissed at him, his green eyes flashing with anger. "If you want me to trust you, to understand you and to be a friend to you, then you'll have to tell me what is going on in that big, conceited head of yours!"

His anger made Harry not even consider the fact that he was talking to the most powerful wizard alive, and that the man could easily throw him out if Harry even marginally inconvenienced him. Voldemort, however, didn't seem to care. Instead, he watched Harry with some sort of mixture between confusion and surprise.

"What do you mean? I'm pretty sure I said all that could be said back there, more than I had ever intended to say." The last sentence was laced with cynical regret, and Harry, who had prepared himself for some more shouting, stopped himself. Life among the Malfoys had taught him the importance of listening and analysing the situation, to carefully assess what the person opposite was saying and then find a useful retort based on their behaviour and choice of words.

Sighing slightly, Harry gathered his prized Gryffindor courage and walked up to Voldemort. Looking up at him, he said softly. "You don't have to be afraid of feelings, Voldemort. It's a part of being human and if you want a future with me, then you will have to learn how to cope with them. That involved talking about it with me."

Stepping back a little, he continued before Voldemort had a chance to interrupt. "I can't say I wasn't taken aback when you told me you l-love me" he stumbled a little on the word, and Voldemort found himself smiling, despite himself, at the small blush that appeared on that young face. "however, you can't just run away from me after something like that. If what you are feeling is truly love, then I want us to be able to discuss it. I might be too young yet to really know how my own feelings compare to yours, but I _do_ know that bottling it all up is not going to help either of us. So, basically, what I'm saying is that we should both be honest with each other."

The slightly feeble end to his speech made Harry feel rather like a fool and he was very tempted to turn and walk out the door as quickly as he could, but his own words made him stand his ground. It was now or never. If he walked out that door now, he had a feeling he would loose whatever opportunity he had to finally talk things over with Voldemort.

Without saying anything, Voldemort stared at Harry with something akin to intense scrutiny, but then he seemed to give in, because he sighed lightly and nodded.

"I assume you're right. Though it has been several decades since I last truly felt emotions like these, I will try to be honest with you about it."

Nodding in relief, knowing that this was probably as good as it was going to get, Harry smiled up at the man before him. "I'm glad we've finally reached that conclusion! Now, mind to elaborate on what you said earlier? About me not, what was it, considering that you love me?"

His tone was teasing, meaning to treat it in a light-hearted manner, but this seemed to be the wrong approach. Instead of returning the smile Harry sent him, Voldemort's eyes narrowed and he turned away.

"If you're going to be making fun of me, Mr Potter, I assure you that I will not tolerate your presence." The warm affection that had been in his voice earlier was replaced by an icy rejection.

Harry, however, didn't loose heart. Realizing he had made a mistake, he put a hand on Voldemort's arm and said silently. "It was not meant as a slight towards you, Voldemort. My intention was to lighten the mood a little, but it was a bit awkwardly carried out. I apologize if I hurt your feelings."

The steady, calm voice, along with the apology, seemed to work. Voldemort's shoulders relaxed a bit and he nodded. "No, I'm sorry. I should've realized that you wouldn't deliberately try to turn my own words against me in this situation."

Turning once more to face him, Voldemort continued. "What I said earlier is true. Though I can't be certain that what I'm feeling is love, given that it has been so many years since I've ever felt anything at all and unlikely that I've ever loved anyone, I certainly care about you more than I've ever cared about anyone before. I often catch myself feeling possessive, jealous and overprotective, but also calm and relaxed whenever you're near."

Seeming to realize just how cheesy his words were, Voldemort cleared his throat a little and refused to look Harry in the eyes. The raven-haired boy only smiled.

"Though I at first felt very annoyed at what I thought was needless protectiveness from your side, I have recently realized that I don't particularly mind. I've never had anyone care about me so much that they'd be willing to throw caution to the wind, just to make sure that I was safe. Though it might make me sound rather stupid, I actually like being given the extra thought and protection that you give me."

After a brief silence, Harry added. "Though I'm still too young to really know what my feelings are, I know that I really care about you and that the last few weeks with you here at the Manor have been some of the best weeks in my short life. If you're willing to give me some time to figure out just what the extent of my caring for you is, I will give you a well considered reply to your confession."

At first it looked like Voldemort was going to question this, but then he nodded, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "I guess that's only reasonable. I will give you some time to figure out your feelings, but I do hope you will reach a conclusion before you turn seventeen."

Harry just laughed and gave Voldemort a quick hug. "I will try." He winked and headed towards the door. "I'll be back later today, okay? I want to just have a quick talk with my godfather before I leave. I have a feeling he would be rather upset if he woke up to find that I wasn't to be found anywhere in the Manor."

Seeing the sensibility in this statement, Voldemort nodded again and with a hand waved for Harry to be gone. The light-hearted laughter of the boy seemed to linger a few seconds after he had left, and Voldemort found himself, despite the circumstances, to be quite positive regarding the future. After all, Harry had confessed to caring about him, as well as appreciating the attention he gave the boy. That must account for something, right? Then, with a groan, he quickly discarded this train of thought. He was the bloody Dark Lord, for Merlin's sake, not some lovesick schoolgirl.

* * *

Stopping before the door leading to the bedroom allocated to his godfather, Harry was left somewhat indecisive. Should he knock or just enter? Should he leave Sirius to rest and contemplate or should he just be brief and to the point, confronting the man with what the situation was and that he would just have to deal with it?

Deciding that being mindful of the man's rather frazzled nerves was probably the way to go, Harry knocked and entered when a cheerful 'come in' sounded from the other side.

Sirius looked almost unrecognizable from the last time Harry had seen him. Gone were the dirty strands of hair that clung to his hard, emaciated face, and rather than the layers of rags he had worn, he as now dressed in a simple, but fitted dark cloak. His shoulder-length black hair was brushed back to reveal a face that would be absolutely dashing once the man gained some weight back.

"Harry! I was just going to go look for you!" he beamed at Harry, who found his happiness to be contagious, because he grinned back.

"Yeah, I wanted to see how you were doing, before I'm going back to Hogwarts today." Seeing the surprised and angry look that had quickly appeared on his godfather's face, he quickly added "It's just for a few hours. Potions is the only subject which, at the moment, Voldemort has decided Snape would do a better job than him teaching me, but Snape can't leave Hogwarts as often as tutoring me would require. Thus, I'm going back to the castle a few times a week to follow the classes there, and then I'll head straight back."

"If you say so, Harry." However, the guarded look and worried tone of the man's voice did nothing to convince Harry that Sirius was actually convinced by his explanation. However, he seemed to want to put this rather awkward topic behind him, because he, with a sudden movement, grabbed Harry's arm and half-dragged him over to a large couch near the fireplace, dropping down into it and pulling Harry along after him.

"Now, tell me why you came over. I'm sure there was more to this than just you wanting to see my handsome face, right?" The joking familiarity which Sirius used so naturally when talking to him, made Harry happier than he had felt in a long time. As if there was no past of his godfather being stowed away in a grisly prison.

"Yeah… I wanted to see if you wanted an explanation or a reasoning behind why I have decided to live here and to, once I'm of age, probably marry Voldemort. I know that it might seem inconceivable to you, but I want to at least try to explain. You're the only family I've got and I don't want to lose you again." His voice faded slightly at the end, but Sirius heard him and put a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"Hey, kiddo." He said and looked Harry in the eyes with a completely honest look. "Marrying a bloody Dark Lord is probably not the future I would've hoped or envisioned for you, but I'm not going to stand in your way if that is what you truly want. You are family, Harry, and family do stupid shit to each other, but then they make up and move on again. They stand up for each other, no matter how mental their actions might seem. So, while I won't go and be all chummy with old Maniacal-Evil-Overlord, I will try my best to not get in the way of your happiness."

"However," he added, his eyes glinting with a mischievous tint, "if he ever hurts you or breaks your heart, I will not hesitate to make his life a living hell. One does not mess with my cub." With that, Sirius affectionately ruffled Harry's hair so that it looked even more dishevelled than usual.

Swatting his hand away with a laugh, Harry grasped the opportunity to reach out and tickle Sirius, who howled with surprised laughter. As he was pulling away from Harry's fingers, he lost his balance and fell down unto the floor, from where he grabbed Harry's leg and pulled him down with him. Thus ensued a fight involving pillows, tackling each other, Sirius at one point flipping Harry over his shoulder and running around in circles, while Harry, roaring with both laughter and frustration, tried to get down.

When they both sank down again in front of the fireplace, exhausted from their play, they both felt like the last twelve years had been wiped away and that a new time had started, a time where, no matter what happened, they would be there for each other. Though a small and rather dysfunctional family, they were a family once more.

Hugging Sirius goodbye was not the awkward scene Harry had depicted. Rather, it was comforting and safe, and Harry ran off in search of Hermione knowing that from now on, Sirius Black would be on his side, no matter what happened.

* * *

After Hermione had left Harry alone with Voldemort, she slowly made her way back to her room, absorbed in thoughts. The conversation she had just had with the person she had up till now believed to be a crazed, homicidal maniac, had been enlightening and, even more surprising, she had found herself agreeing to what the man said. It made her realize just how many lies Dumbledore had spun around her, trapping her like a fly in the net of a particularly malevolent spider. Hermione Granger did not like to be wrong about anything and it vexed her that she had let herself view the matter of Voldemort only from one side without taking the opposing side into consideration.

Voldemort had been honest and upfront about his views, seeming not to be hiding anything, but preferring to lay it out and explain himself if need be. This was such a drastically different mode of operation than that of Dumbledore, who chose to use his followers and friends as pawns in a secret plan only he knew the full extent of. Now that she had become aware of what was actually going on, it sickened her.

Deciding that she would pass the time until they were returning to Hogwarts, by thinking everything over, she sat down at the windowsill and absentmindedly looked out over the vast forest surrounding the Manor. Somehow this scenery surprised her. She had expected the Malfoys to be more of the urban kind, preferring to be in the middle of everything that went on, both on the political and social circles. On the other hand, she reasoned, location didn't matter as much in the Wizarding world, as guests usually chose to apparate or floo to whoever they were visiting. Also, the woods seemed rather impenetrable, probably providing an added level of security. Really, these pureblood families were sometimes more paranoid than was absolutely necessary.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her musings, and she hurried over, thinking it to be Harry who had come back. However, when she opened the door, she was surprised to see the perfectly groomed face of Draco Malfoy.

"I'm sure you're wondering what I'm doing here, Granger." He said before she had a chance to voice her confusion. She only nodded in reply, stepping aside a little so as to give him space to enter.

Walking to the middle of the room before turning to her again, Draco continued. "After getting to know Harry, I have decided that my attitude towards you have been rather unfair. I apologize for letting my prejudiced opinions take precedent over what should've been apparent to me, that you are just as good, probably better than, any witch of your age. What I want is to offer you my sincere apologies for behaving like a stupid child, and I hope that we might start over again on a better note than we did the first time."

This whole speech was spoken in a rather stiff manner, as if Draco had been repeating it over and over to himself and it had now been reduced to just so many memorized lines. However, Hermione had a feeling that the intent behind the apology was sincere, so she smiled and nodded.

"I won't pretend like the words you said against me didn't hurt, or that your elitist views didn't frustrate me beyond comprehension sometimes, but I believe you when you say you want to put all this behind you."

She walked over to him and extended a hand towards him. Meeting his eyes plainly, she smiled. Draco looked surprised, but then he slowly returned the smile and shook her hand.

"I'm Draco Malfoy. Lovely to meet you."

"And I'm Hermione Granger, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

The two of them then proceeded to stare a little awkwardly at each other, Hermione finding the temptation to shuffle her feet and glance around the room to be rather intense. To her relief, Draco was the first to break the silence.

"Despite spending most of last year trying to live up to what I thought was expected behaviour and treating you like shit, I hardly know anything about you. What do you say, does an equal exchange of information sound fair to you?"

Hermione laughed, but nodded. 'What a delightful change from the Draco Malfoy of last year! Now he is civil and intelligent, truly a favourable change from the stuck-up brat he was trying to be.' she thought, while directing them both over to the couch.

With an absentminded motion, she swiped a lock of brown hair away from her face, before pinning Draco with the stare she usually got when searching for information.

"So, what was it that caused you to have this sudden epiphany about muggleborn wizards and witches?"

To his credit, Draco didn't answer immediately, but seemed to ponder the question a little before replying. To Hermione, this signified that he respected her question and wanted to give her a solid and well thought-out reply. Finally, he spoke up.

"I'm afraid the honour goes entirely to our friend Harry for changing my mind. Before I got to know him, I followed what I thought was the 'pureblood code of honour', which in my narrow understanding included passionately looking down upon everyone not as fortunate as me. However, I'm also firmly on the Dark side, and when Lord Voldemort explained to me just what his goals and ideals were, I realized that I had got it all wrong. Then Harry came to the Manor and I realized how stupid I had been for estranging such a wonderful person from me. He showed me that blood, when it comes down to it, truly doesn't matter. What matters is the person themselves, their characteristics and personality. So, since Harry sees you as a precious friend, I want to get to know you too. Also, you _are _the most gifted person in our year and being friends with you would certainly prove advantageous to me."

Draco had assumed his past haughty look and voice at the end of his speech, but a small smile gave him away and Hermione burst into laughter.

"Is that so?" she replied, after schooling her features again. "Well, I'm quite certain that befriending you would also be highly socially beneficial to me, so I guess it works out in both our favours."

They looked at each other for a few seconds, both trying their hardest not to smile, but then they gave up and started laughing heartily.

When Snape opened the door twenty minutes later, he found, to his immense surprise, the two of them in eager conversation, Hermione explaining the muggle habit of going skiing in the winter.

* * *

"So, Harry, are you ready for this? You know that Dumbledore will do whatever he can to make contact with you or worse…"

The worried faces of Voldemort and Sirius were looking down at him and Harry nodded. "Yeah, I know, but I will make sure to not stray far from the dungeons and to always have either Draco or Hermione with me when I do have to go to another part of the castle."

It had taken Voldemort and Sirius quite some time to agree not to hex each other into the nearest wall, but one thing they had agreed on and that was ensuring the welfare of Harry. Sirius was rather more mother-hen-like than Voldemort would ever be, but the concern still shone through in the way he would reply in short, snappish sentences whenever someone asked him anything.

Draco and Hermione, along with Snape, were standing a few feet away patiently waiting for Harry to join them.

"Look, I'll take care of myself, okay?" he said and hugged them both quickly. "I'll be back in a few hours. It's not like I'm staying there for several weeks or anything!"

With that, he withdrew and, with one last glance at them, turned and walked over to his friends.

"Are you quite ready, Mr Potter?" Snape said icily, a tone which Harry ignored and instead shot the dour man a sparkling smile.

"So, ready to face the music, Harry?" Hermione asked, her warm brown eyes showing the same level of concern as Sirius had just expressed, but he could also sense that she believed whole-heartedly that he would do just fine.

"Yep. Now, let's go, shall we?"

Snape pressed his lips together, probably to avoid saying something to Harry in front of both the Dark Lord and the boy's godfather that he would regret. Then he procured an old, battered book and held it out.

"Touch it and don't let go. It's a portkey. The headmaster has kindly" a sneer expressed just how 'kind' Snape found this gesture "made an exception in the Hogwarts wards for us, so that we will be able to portkey directly into the castle."

The three of them hastily put their hands on the book, nothing happened for a second, but then Harry felt a sickening jerk, like a hook had been fastened to right behind his navel, and the sight of Malfoy Manor disappeared from view.

* * *

GASP! Hogwarts next! Wonder what will happen there!

Also, the story is coming to a close, I'm thinking that this story will have around 20-22 chapters in total, so the rest of the story is going to be about sorting out the Dumbledore situation, as well as Harry and Voldemort's relationship. (I promise I will give you a happy ending. I can't deal with sad stuff... I once read a fanfic where both Voldemort and Harry died at the end, and I was left devasted for days. So, not gonna happen in this one!)


	17. Chapter 17

Aaah, I'm feeling productive, you guys! A new chapter and it's not even the weekend yet! (At least here it isn't...) :D

Thank you for all your wonderful replies, it made me really happy to read every single one. I'm really bad at replying to them, but know that I truly do read them all. It really brightens my day to get a positive review, and it makes me more determined to update this story so that you guys can read on. Also, the story is picking up pace and I'm just along for the ride! I have only a vague idea of what I'm going to be writing for each chapter. I usually just go along with whatever idea pops into my head, so this chapter was really, really enjoyable to write.

Hope you guys like it as well!

* * *

It took Harry a few seconds to reorient himself and find out where he was. Around them towered large, dark bookshelves and, upon further inspection, he found himself standing in what appeared to be a living room, lit by a merry fire in the fireplace. One look at the titles of the books on the shelves told Harry that they had apparated straight into Snape's own living quarters. This was ascertained by the Potions master himself just moments later.

"Come on now, I have no wish for my private sanctuary to be intruded on by rambunctious children like yourselves."

With that, he sternly guided them towards the door. "You will accompany me, as your Potions class is scheduled to start in ten minutes. No need to worry about equipment, this time it will be provided for you." He added when he noticed Harry about to comment.

Hermione seemed quite pleased with this, but Harry silently regretted the fact that he wouldn't be able to pop by the Gryffindor tower with some poor excuse for searching for some equipment there. Despite knowing the dangers he could be facing if he went back to the common room alone, Harry missed the place terribly and hoped that Hermione would be willing to bend the instructions she had received from Voldemort, regarding following him around at all times, just enough to accompany him up there.

This train of thought must have showed on his face, because he looked up and met Draco's narrowed eyes. The blond pressed his lips together and shook his head almost imperceptibly, but Harry saw the gesture well enough. With a small smile that seemed to say 'oh well, a guy can hope, right?' and a shrug of his shoulders, Harry proceeded to pay close attention to the corridors they were walking through.

The dungeons were a part of the castle that Harry hadn't explored much, mostly because he associated them with Slytherins and Potions, two of his previously least favourite things. Now he decided to be a little more adventurous and he made up his mind to fix all aspects of the shady passages to memory. After all, if this was the part of the castle he would be limited to seeing, then at least he would do his best to know every inch of it.

Sooner than Harry had hoped they arrived at their destination. However, several students had already arrived and were standing around outside the classroom door, waiting for Snape to usher them in as he usually did. A red-headed figure immediately attracted Harry's attention and he inwardly groaned, while also feeling a pang of hurt and betrayal.

"Now, look here. Isn't it the traitor himself? I thought you had decided to leave us all behind to suck up to You-Know-Who?" Ron's face had taken on a rather nasty shade of purple and his anger was evident.

Before Harry could retort, however, Snape's silky voice cut in. "Detention, Mr Weasley. Tonight with Mr Filch. I hope you are well versed in muggle cleaning techniques, as I hear Filch would greatly enjoy someone to clean up the rather disastrous state of the toilets on the second floor."

Ron looked like he was torn between wanting to further insult Harry, express his indignity over the punishment and silence, but he ultimately settled for just shooting Harry the darkest glare he could muster, before following Seamus and Dean, both of whom looked slightly uncomfortable, into the classroom.

Hermione huffed angrily, patted Harry on the shoulder and whispered for him to come along. Deciding that the Gryffindor side of the room was no longer the safe spot it used to be, Harry and Hermione both sat down on the Slytherin side, Harry with Draco, and Hermione, after Draco had loudly declared that she was to be regarded as his close friend, with Daphne. The Slytherin girl looked a little confused, but as soon as the lesson started and Hermione started working, she seemed content and enthusiastically started discussing the potion with the brown haired girl.

Snape, who despite his attitude, actually cared a great deal what happened to the Potter brat, watched the students in front of him carefully. He scornfully noticed how little Weasley tried to hide his petty jealousy and anger, the boy kept staring at Potter with a look that, if looks could kill, would've turned Harry into a scorched black mark on the floor. However, as long as Potter was inside the classroom, the redhead's hands were tied. Nevertheless, this open hostility proved to him that Harry was not safe at Hogwarts, as whatever Weasley decided to do would be completely disregarded by Dumbledore. Snape could only hope that Granger and Draco were vigilant enough to keep Potter in check. Though, knowing the annoying brat, that could be harder than first imagined.

'One should think that the high likelihood of incurring the Dark Lord's anger if he disregarded his direct orders would make Potter behave, but knowing that brat, he has no regard for his personal safety at all, preferring rather to dive head first into whatever idiotic scheme he is plotting at the moment.'

Giving a mental sigh, Snape decided that he would just have to take it upon himself to keep an eye out for the boy. After all, however much he looked like his father, Harry was Lily's son as well and Snape would not let her precious child be hurt. Also, the Dark Lord would surely skin him alive if Harry as much as scratched himself under his watch. Honestly, for a Dark Lord, the man could rival the most over-zealous mother when it came to keeping the boy safe.

For Harry, the class was over way too soon. For the first time, he had actually really enjoyed the stirring of the potion, the chopping of ingredients and the constant, careful eyeing of the bubbling, purple mass. Draco had proved to be a better partner than Ron had ever been, as the blond, unlike the youngest Weasley boy, was actually interested in getting good grades in the subject.

Collecting his books to give back to Snape, Harry shot a glance at Ron, who met his eyes squarely. From having been his closest friend for a year, Harry knew that look perfectly. It was the look Ron usually reserved for Draco, the look of utter loathing and disgust. Making his mind up, Harry dropped the textbooks unto Snape's desk and, before the Potions Master could stop him, had hurried after the retreating backs of Ron, Seamus and Dean.

He caught up with them just before they reached the stairs going up into the main halls of the castle. They had stopped when they heard the sound of his footsteps and were facing him, Seamus and Dean with slightly confused and nervous expressions, Ron with a disdainful frown on his face.

"What do you want, Potter? Finally getting tired of playing You-Know-Who's whore?"

The insult hit Harry hard, but he was determined to talk this over. He knew that actually gaining Ron over to his side would be nigh on impossible, but he could at least try to alleviate the open hostility the boy felt towards him.

"Please, Ron, I just want to talk, okay? There's no reason to be throwing insults at me when you won't let me explain what is actually going on."

Ron only snorted. "Oh, I'm sure you're the innocent victim in this, Harry. You always were, weren't you? I bet you never even once revelled a little at your fame, the way people would recognize you in the streets, the vast amount of gold in your Gringotts vault. No, Precious Potter would never stoop so low, the only thing you think about is justice and fairness in the world, isn't it?"

Harry was getting impatient now and felt small tendrils of anger flowing through him. "Look" he said, a little more cross than he intended "I don't want to argue with you, but you're being too thick-headed to see what is plain in front of you. Can't you see that Dumbledore is just playing you as a fool, a bloody pawn on his chessboard? It's not Voldemort you should be worrying about, but rather that balmy old man up in his ivory tower!"

Despite his best intentions, the anger Harry felt had now taken over and he shouted the last sentence, seemingly taking Ron aback, as the redhead's eyes widened in surprise and he took a small step backwards. However, the moment of shock passed quickly, and now Ron's face was distorted in rage.

"What makes you think you have _any_ right to insult the headmaster like that? Are you really that far gone, that you would even _consider_ You-Know-Who to be the misunderstood hero in this tale? You're the thick-headed one if you think that Dumbledore has done anything at all to harm our world, when all he's ever done is try to vanquish the Dark side."

Harry suddenly felt threatened, insecure, as Ron slowly walked towards him, wand pointed straight at Harry's chest. Seamus now seemed to think this a bit too much, because he put a hand on Ron's shoulder.

"Hey man, let's get out of here, okay? There's no reason to waste your effort on Potter, let's just go back to the common room."

To his surprise however, Ron spun around and shot a mild hex at Seamus, causing him to fly a few meters and hit the opposite wall. Dean shot Ron a horrified look.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he screamed, but Ron ignored him, choosing rather to turn back towards Harry.

"Dumbledore told me this might happen" he said slowly, as if he was contemplating something or convincing himself "you're too far gone now, Harry. You leave me no choice."

Harry didn't realize what the redhead was planning until his wand was pointing straight at his chest again and a strange, crazed haze seemed to pass over Ron's blue eyes. However, before the boy had time to shoot the curse, Harry was thrown to the side by a strong arm, being caught by Hermione's arms before he hit the floor. Snape was standing over him and, with a simple 'Expelliarmus', had disarmed the now rather shocked Weasley boy.

"Are you okay? He didn't hurt you, did he?" Hermione whispered anxiously and Harry only shook his head, not really trusting his voice at the moment.

With a glance at Harry, as if checking to see if he was okay, Snape turned back to Ron, a small, rather sadistic smile on his lips. "Stupefy." His voice was cold and silky, but with a level of animosity behind it that caused the hair on his back to stand on end.

With another small flick of his wand, ropes appeared out of thin air and bound Ron tightly. "It seem like young Mr Weasley may have overstepped the line this time. He simply leaves me no choice." Despite his words, Snape looked anything other than regretful. Harry was surprised at the satisfied look on his Potions professor's face.

"What do you intend to do with him, professor?" Hermione asked. Harry noticed that her voice was shaking a little.

Levitating Ron behind him, much like you would a sack of flour, Snape walked over to the two of them. "I'm bringing him back to Malfoy Manor. The Dark Lord explicitly demanded that I bring back anyone who threatened to put Potter's safety at risk while at Hogwarts and from what I could judge, Mr Weasley here seems to have done just that."

Usually, this would have shocked and terrified Harry, but now he only nodded tiredly. He knew Voldemort well enough by now to know that the man wouldn't kill Ron unless he truly did something to harm either Voldemort or Harry, but he also knew that the Dark Lord could be rather cruel to those who threatened what he perceived as his. Surprisingly, this thought didn't bother him nearly as much as it should have and Harry briefly wondered whether this was an effect of the bonding between him and Voldemort.

Hermione stood up and helped Harry up as well. She hadn't said anything about bringing Ron back to the Manor, but Harry could see that she was worried. The sound of running footsteps broke the silence and Draco came into view, his eyes immediately going to the form of the stunned and bound Ron and then to Harry, who was supporting himself against Hermione's arm.

"Harry, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, hurrying over to the two of them. Harry only nodded.

"He's fine, Draco. Professor Snape stopped Ron before he could do anything." Hermione assured the blond, though he still looked rather unconvinced.

"Potter, come along. We are going back to the Manor now. The sooner the Dark Lord is notified of these events, the better. I'm sure he has noticed some of your emotions just now, through the bonding of your cores. If I were you, I would not waste any time in reassuring him, as having him draw the wrong conclusions could have a rather devastating effect on the rest of the student population."

Harry nodded, quickly hugged Draco and Hermione, and then followed after Snape down the same corridor they had used just a few hours earlier.

"We should hurry before the headmaster gets a word about this." Snape explained, not looking at Harry, but directing his stare straight forward as if on the lookout for possible hindrances. "Mr Weasley was accompanied by Mr Finnigan and Mr Thomas, I suppose?" Receiving a short nod, he sighed. "Well, since none of them were present when I arrived, I assume they snuck off. The more reason to hurry then, as they are likely to have run straight to the headmaster's office to report."

Admitting that this was a reasonable logic, Harry did his best to keep up with the Potions Master's long strides and they reached the portrait covering the man's office quickly after. Hastily giving the password, 'leírion', to the smiling fairy on a swing within the portrait, Snape ushered Harry in before closing the door, checking the corridor first to see that no one had followed them or were heading in that direction.

Snape had levitated Ron behind him, but now discarded the boy next to the fireplace, as if he were a loathsome burden the man was relieved to be rid of.

"Now, we need to get back to the Manor before Dumbledore closes the wards again. If he does that, the only way you will be able to return, is to get outside the gates and then apparate from there. However, you may count on Dumbledore to get in your way before you can get that far."

While talking, Snape was going through a pile of papers on his desk, some of which he stuffed in the pockets of his robes. Then he grabbed the still stunned Ron from the floor, placed a firm hand on Harry's shoulder and turned on the spot. For a brief second, Harry was certain that Dumbledore had beat them to it, but then the sight of Snape's living room disappeared and was replaced with the now familiar sight of the main living room in Malfoy Manor.

Voldemort was sitting in the nearest armchair and he looked up with eagerly at the sound of their arrival. However, his face darkened at the sight of Ron, who Snape had let go of the second his feet hit the carpet.

"Severus, what is the meaning of this?" His voice was calm and collected, but there was an undertone to it that made it clear that Snape better have a good explanation or there would be serious consequences.

"Milord, the Weasley brat tried to attack Potter. Dumbledore seems to have completely turned him against his former friends and he now believes himself to be some kind of righteous defender of the Light side. I stunned him before he had a chance to do any damage, but I brought him here as it is my belief that he will be the cause of much unnecessary trouble if he were to roam free."

Voldemort's red eyes darted to Harry. "Is this true? Did the boy attack you?"

Deciding that in this case, the truth would be his best option, Harry nodded, but despite what Ron might have done, he had no wish for the redhead to be killed. "It is true, but I know Ron. He is easily manipulated and the headmaster has been encouraging his jealousy of me. He is constantly compared to his older brothers and strives for attention, which is why he is likely to be envious of what he perceives to be undivided attention poured upon me. I'm not trying to say that what he did was excusable, but I think that there is still a possibility of him being turned over to our side with enough persuasion."

However, from the look on both Snape and Voldemort's face, Harry knew trying to defend Ron was a lost cause. Voldemort angrily shook his head and rose from his chair.

"No, Harry. In this case, I won't be placated. This boy tried to harm you. For me, that is reason good enough to dispose of him. He is a threat and too much of a pawn of Dumbledore's to be trusted."

While still looking Harry in the eyes, Voldemort motioned for Snape to leave them. The man bowed courteously, shot Ron one last look of disgust, before leaving the room, his robes billowing behind him.

When the door closed again, Voldemort's face softened just a fraction and he walked up to Harry, placing his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Harry, I deeply care about what happens to you and though I'm not the homicidal maniac that Dumbledore has tried to paint me as, I have no qualms about killing when I deem it necessary."

"But-" Harry tried to intervene, but Voldemort shook his head.

"No buts. I will follow your wishes on pretty much everything else, but when it comes to your safety, I will take no chances."

Biting his lip in frustration, Harry looked over to the redhead lying on the carpet. His blue eyes were the only thing that moved and the horror in them were not to be mistaken.

"Look, is there really no other way? Do you really have to kill him? Can't you, I don't know, lock him up in a dungeon or something?"

Voldemort seemed to find this thought amusing, because he raised one eyebrow questioningly. "In the dungeons? Tell me Harry, though I do admit that would negate any threat that he currently poses, why should I go through the trouble of keeping him alive when I could just as easily kill him and have the whole problem sorted out?"

Deciding that he would just have to take a wild leap of faith, Harry straightened his back and looked the man in front of him in the eyes with as much steely determination as he could muster. "Because I don't want him dead and if you kill him, I will hold it against you. Trust me, I can keep a grudge for longer than you would imagine."

To his surprise, Voldemort tipped his head back and laughed heartily. This was the first time the man had let down his defences to this extent and Harry couldn't help but admire the deep, throaty sound, secretly wishing that Voldemort would laugh more often.

Composing himself, Voldemort stepped away from Harry and walked over to Ron, crouching down in front of him so that their eyes were on the same level.

"Did you hear that, Weasley? Harry is still defending you, even though it would make his life infinitely better if you just disappeared without a trace. To think that you would throw away his friendship for the petty lies of Albus Dumbledore goes beyond my imagination, but for Harry's sake, I can make an exception. You see," he continued, standing up and casually looking at his fingernails, "I would normally kill little vermin like you without a second thought, but because Harry has decided to play the part of the knight in shining armour for you, I will humour him."

With a snap of his fingers, a house-elf appeared in front of him. The creature bowed so deep that its long, crooked nose scraped the floor, before it rose to a half-standing crouch.

"Master called Flipsy? What can Flipsy do for Master?"

"Take the red-haired boy down to the dungeons and lock him up in the safest cell there. Make sure that he is kept alive, but don't strain yourselves trying to make it comfortable for him."

"Flipsy will do so straight away, Master!" The house-elf bowed once more before it took a hold of a handful of Ron's hair and apparated away with a loud 'crack'.

Turning towards Harry, Voldemort threw his arms open as if to say 'are you happy now?', before sitting down in the armchair closest to him. It took Harry a few seconds to realize what the man had just done, but then he grinned and ran forward, hugging the man tightly.

"Thank you." He whispered in Voldemort's ear, burying his face in the man's shoulder.

"Don't think about it, Harry. I wanted to show you that I'm serious about wanting to make you happy and if not killing that boy would accomplish that, it was simply not hard for me to decide what to do with him."

Withdrawing a little so that he could look into those piercing red eyes, Harry continued. "It really does mean a lot to me. Ron might not be the best friend out there, but he was the first friend I had and we shared some very happy moments together last year. Though I realize those days are over now, I still don't want to see him killed because of circumstances he has been dragged into and has no control over."

"The Weasley boy knew perfectly well what he was doing, Harry. Don't fool yourself into thinking Dumbledore somehow brainwashed him. What the headmaster does best is to take advantage of thoughts and emotions already there and use them to his advantage. Instead of wasting your compassion on him, focus rather on the friends that truly care about you, like Draco and that Granger girl."

Realizing that discussing this was futile, Harry only nodded. "I guess you're right. What happens now, though? Dumbledore is bound to retaliate in some way for kidnapping Ron."

Voldemort nodded. "Yes, I believe he will. However, we will just have to wait and see. Until then, you will stay here at the Manor. I don't trust that old man and today proved to me that Hogwarts is not safe enough for you anymore. There is bound to be others who can be used just like Weasley. I'm not going to take any chances, so you will have to stay here for the time being."

Surprisingly, Harry didn't feel too upset about this. Though he loved the old castle, the events of the day had dampened his joy of returning, and somehow, the thought of spending his days in the company of the Dark Lord didn't sound too unappealing. Yes, he decided, he could definitely enjoy spending his days getting to know this still mysterious man. After all, he had given Voldemort a promise, and to fulfil that promise, he would need to know more about the man.

That night, when Harry crept under the covers of his bed, Medusa snuggled up close to his pillow, he decided that he would use the coming weeks to truly get to know Voldemort. Then, when he had enough information to make an informed decision, he would give the Dark Lord his answer. Time would show what that answer might lead to.

* * *

Tadaaa! Even more fluff between Voldie and Harry. Argh, I can't help myself sometime! I just find them too adorable together :3

Also, I gave you some more Hermione, because from what I can gather from your reviews, we all agree that she's just too awesome to be left out on the sideline. From now on, the story might jump forward in time a little, but I'll try to write it so that all details are covered. Don't want to just skip ahead straight into the juicy stuff without actually explaining how things ended up there!

So, hope you liked the chapter and look forward to the next one! I have only one week left before term starts, so I can give no promises as to the frequency of updates after that.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: **It's been a while since I put one of these up, but I will just say that nothing has changed in terms of me owning anything to do with Harry Potter. *sad face* I'm still just a poor college student, I'm afraid! No profit is made from writing this story.

So, with this chapter we're finally starting to see the final climax to the story! I'm so excited!

* * *

Ginny was fuming, pacing back and forth in her bedchamber at Hogwarts. The news had travelled quickly and whispers of Ron's disappearance had scattered throughout the school like wildfire. The craziest allegations were proposed, everything from Ron having just feigned his anger towards Harry and that life at school simply wasn't bearable without his former best friend, to the more darker theories of how Ron had been killed by one of the creatures in the Forbidden Forest, as well as stories about how several students had seen Voldemort himself whisk the redhead away from one of the school's corridors.

Though Ginny didn't believe any of these fantastical stories, she knew that her brother hadn't simply decided to live his life elsewhere. No, something more sinister was at work here and she somehow knew, instinctively, that Harry Potter was at the heart of it. The last time Ron was seen had been after the Potions class shared with the Slytherins. Seamus and Dean had both told her how they had left Ron behind with Harry, though they were both rather indignant over how Ron had threatened not only Harry, but also Seamus. Ginny completely sympathized with her brother, but she was a better actress than people believed her to be, so she gained the full support of the two older Gryffindors.

'Somehow, it's all linked to Harry. I know it. He was the last one to see Ron before he disappeared and now Potter has crawled back to You-Know-Who like the obedient little dog he is.' She sneered and stopped to fully collect her thoughts. She needed a plan, a plan that would not only bring her Ron back, but which would also lure Potter out of his secure hiding place at Malfoy Manor.

A small smile formed on her lips. Quickly making her way out of the Gryffindor tower and through the winding corridors, she hurried towards the one person who would definitely help her.

* * *

It had been two days since Harry's decision to get to know Voldemort more fully, but thus far, he had not much new to report. From watching the man during his simple, everyday habits, Harry knew that he preferred a simple breakfast of coffee, orange juice and toast, that tardiness and disrespect was one thing which he would never suffer from any of his followers, and that he was meticulous about his work, always making sure to dedicate at least a few hours every day to fully immerse himself in the latest reports and movements made on both sides.

Harry was sitting in Voldemort's study, carefully watching the man as he was reading through a lengthy report on the werewolf packs in Northern England. Apparently, someone named Greyback had agreed to support Voldemort's cause, though his demands to be provided with humans to feast on was quickly turned down by Voldemort. He was now currently working with the werewolf to sort out a compromise they could both agree on, but it proved to be harder than originally thought, as the wolf was rather adamant that his claims be met or he would simply turn his back on any agreement they might decide on.

After watching Voldemort for a few more minutes, Harry took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and walked over to the man.

"I want to know more about you." He declared with the most decisive voice he could muster. "If I'm to marry you or even give you the answer I promised you, I want to know as much about you as possible."

Voldemort turned towards him and scrutinized him for what felt like an eternity. The expression in his red eyes was hard to figure out, but it seemed to Harry as if Voldemort was somehow pleased with his daring to state his demands like this, straightforward and to his face.

Rising slowly, Voldemort walked over to an armchair, sat down, put his hands, on over the other, on his knee, before looking expectantly at Harry.

"Very well. Ask whatever question you want and I will try my best to answer it." Though he added with a slight warning in his voice "though I will refuse to answer any question I deem to be unnecessary knowledge for anyone but myself."

Shaking himself out of his surprised state, Harry quickly took a seat opposite Voldemort. Thinking for a minute, trying to decide what to ask the man, he began his questioning.

"You've already told me what your ideal for the Wizarding world is and how you will go about accomplishing this ideal. But what will you do once you're done with that, when your goals and dreams have all come true? Will you just sit back and enjoy it? And is it your intention to become Minister of Magic? No offence, but I can't really picture you as Minister."

"And why not?" Voldemort asked, one of his eyebrows raised in question, but a small smile played on his lips.

Halting a little, Harry stuttered. "B-because, well, the position of Minister entails having to be answerable to the Wizengamot and the public at large. It's certainly a position of power, but from what I can gather, you're not really allowed to just do as you please. You're very much dependent on gaining the favour of the public to stay in office."

To his relief, Voldemort nodded with a pleased look on his face. "Very good, Harry. Yes, you're right. I have no ambition of ever becoming Minister of Magic, though I intend to place one of my followers in that position. That way, I can work from the shadows, but also control the Ministry. Though, if everything goes according to my plan, there won't be much 'controlling' to do. Hopefully, most of the Ministry workers and the Wizengamot will see the logic in my views and follow them willingly."

"Fair enough, I guess." Harry replied with a small grin. He was starting to enjoy this light back and forth between them. "Now on to the next question. Why me?"

Voldemort looked up, an almost startled look on his face that then morphed into a quizzical mask. "What do you mean, 'why you'?"

Blushing deeply, Harry refused to meet the man's stare and mumbled, almost unintelligibly. "I mean, why did you decide that you were to marry me? What made you, the most powerful wizard in our world, decide to visit my parents that night with a ready written marriage proposal? What made you wait and continue pursuing me eleven years later?"

To his surprise, Voldemort's normally hard, stoic features softened and his voice, when he replied after a little wait, was lower and more emotional than Harry had ever heard it before. "At first, it was simply a matter of logic. Your magic showed a lot of potential, even as a child, and as such it made sense to me that you would be a suitable consort to me when you grew up. However, after I regained my body and soul, I started listening to the reports made by Lucius and Severus, and my interest was piqued. Of course, Severus had only negative things to say about you. He would go on and on about how conceited, spoilt, arrogant and insufferable you were. Lucius was a little more neutral, though I fear his son might have influenced him slightly in his view of you."

Voldemort leant back and seemed to be lost in contemplation or nostalgia. "Slowly, my interest in you grew and I decided that I would have to take action before Dumbledore completely poisoned your mind against me. I'm completely convinced, Harry, that we are completely compatible, not only magically, but otherwise as well. If you'll let me, I'll show you that a life with me will be far from a life lived in fear or regret."

The honesty in his voice surprised Harry and he simply stared at the man for a solid minute. His emotions seemed to be all over the place, from a sudden affection to a proud sense of independence, a feeling that Voldemort had no place to tell him what to do. In the end, it seemed like a growing warmth of happiness won out and Harry smiled tentatively.

"I guess that makes sense…" he trailed off, before shaking himself out of the, in his mind, rather silly bubble of elation that seemed to have wrapped itself around his head.

"So, lets say all your ideals and goals are fulfilled and the Wizarding world becomes just like you picture it. What will you do after that? I know that you will want to keep a close eye on the Ministry, but surely that can't take up all your time?"

To his surprise, Voldemort rose and turned away from him, staring out of the large windows on the opposite side of the room. His hands were joined behind his back as if he was contemplating something. After a rather tense silence, he turned back and his red eyes fixed steadily on Harry's green ones. They were filled with steely determination.

"I don't want to scare you off, Harry. But believe me, I have no intention of letting you alone for most of the day while I'm conducting meetings or whatever other business I might have to do. As you know, I can be rather possessive and with a husband as handsome as you are bound to grow up to become, I couldn't possibly leave you alone for long at a time."

The teasing tone of his voice made Harry blush even more, and he rose from his chair to sort of level the standing between them. Though he was tempted to run away due to the embarrassment he felt, Harry still had one more question he was aching to ask. However, he knew that this one might be the one question that would make Voldemort throw him out of his office, refusing to even talk to him for the rest of the day.

"Was your childhood a part of the reason why you decided to keep pursuing me? Because you saw a similarity between us?" Harry had picked up enough about the Dark Lord's background during some of their conversations to know that the man had grown up in an orphanage. Though he knew no more than that little fact, Harry guessed that there were some rather emotionally charged reasons why young Tom Riddle had almost remained as the crazed murderer Harry had seen last year, and that those reasons were quite possibly tied to that muggle orphanage.

Voldemort had been looking absentmindedly at a book next to him on the small table next to the chair he was sitting in, but as Harry spoke, his, till then, relaxed and composed pose stiffened, and he slowly raised his eyes to meet with Harry's. The red in them was flashing dangerously and his lips were just a think line, as he was pressing them together tightly. Harry could see how the man had clenched his fists so that the knuckles stood out bone white, decidedly different from the usual pale, but not unhealthy, colour of Voldemort's skin.

"Harry, you are treading on dangerous ground here." He forced out, obviously trying hard to control his impulse to hex Harry with the most painful curse he could think of.

'Here goes nothing, I guess' Harry thought, gathering up all that he could muster of that famous Gryffindor courage.

"I didn't say that to hurt you or exploit anything you perceive to be a weakness. I asked because it's a normal human response to connect more to people who have shared experiences similar to your own." Encouraged by the fact that Voldemort hadn't immediately thrown him out and actually seemed to relax, however marginally, Harry continued. "We are both without family, we both grew up in a place where nobody really appreciated us or loved us. Don't you think that such a childhood leaves some sort of wound that is begging to be healed? Don't you think that to heal the wound, you need another person who can at least have a basic understanding of what you went through?"

As he was talking, Harry seemed to slowly reach a decision. While trying to convince Voldemort, he was also convincing himself. The words he spoke seemed to reverberate within himself as well, and open up a part of him that he had been too nervous and hesitant about approaching until that moment. Despite the fact that Voldemort could be cold, arrogant, overprotective and egotistical, Harry also knew that the man had the ability to be caring, kind and to be able to listen and contemplate what others were saying. Behind that thoughtful, cold stare was a mind that was capable of taking the opinions and feelings of others into consideration and act accordingly. Also, Voldemort was still not completely used to the fact that he had feelings. If he was able to act like this now, then Harry was certain that he would become a man that could truly love and care for another human being with time.

Before Voldemort had time to cut him off, Harry quickly walked over to him and held his face softly between his hands, tilting his head up slightly so that they looked straight into each other's eyes.

"Instead of remonstrating against your past, let me be there to help you come to terms with it. Just as I can be there for you, so can you be there for me. Let bygones be bygones and rather focus on what the future will bring, instead of being tied down and afraid of a past that keeps on haunting your thoughts."

Leaning forward slowly, giving Voldemort time to retreat if he wanted to, Harry softly kissed the man's cheek. "I will stay by your side if you promise to do the same for me." He whispered.

Then, suddenly conscious of the audacity of his actions, Harry blushed bright red and hastily turned away, heading quickly towards the door. However, Voldemort's voice stopped him.

"Wait, Harry." The tone of his voice was surprisingly soft. "I'm not angry with you, please don't leave just yet."

Turning around, Harry saw that Voldemort had risen from his chair and was holding out one hand imploringly, as if trying to stop Harry from exiting the room.

"If I understood that last sentence right, you have just given me an answer to my proposal earlier?" he asked, and Harry could sense the emotion threatening to burst into the casual tone he used.

Without a word, Harry turned back and wrapped his arms around the taller man's waist, leaning his head against his chest. "You understood correctly." He replied in the same by-the-way manner, making Voldemort smirk a little before placing his hands on the boy's shoulders and holding him a little away from him so as to better look at him.

"Trust me, Harry, that makes me very, very happy. I will try my best to become the best husband I can be for you."

Harry couldn't stop a brilliant smile from appearing on his face and his green eyes lit up with undiluted happiness. "And I will do my best to always be there for you whenever you need me."

After this, they settled back into their own armchair, each with their separate books, spending the rest of the afternoon in silence, only occasionally did one of them look up and smile softly at the other. A silent agreement had formed between them and now they both happily relaxed with the knowledge that neither of them would step down from the promise they had made each other.

* * *

Hermione was walking along an empty corridor when voices interrupted her silent pondering. Stopping for a moment to figure out who the voices belonged to, she stiffened as she recognized the very familiar voice of one Ginevra Weasley. Fearing the worst, Hermione slowly snuck along the wall until she reached the corner leading into the next hallway. Judging from the sound, Ginny and the person she was talking to were just a few meters ahead.

"Listen, I went to Dumbledore and he has this all figured out, okay? No need to be worried about it. It will simply be an in-and-out mission, just to lure Potter out so that he can be taken down easily."

The other person said something, but Hermione couldn't hear what they were saying, as they were seemingly mumbling. Ginny's response, however, was loud and clear.

"Geez, don't you see? We have no chance as long as You-Know-Who is close to him. What we want is to get Potter on his own, without his precious master. That way, he will be easy to defeat and Dumbledore will be one step closer to defeating You-Know-Who himself!

Her associate expressed a shocked exclamation, and Ginny laughed.

"According to Dumbledore, he'll be weaker or more susceptible or something if Potter dies or is seriously injured. I don't quite understand it, but if Dumbledore says so, then I'll believe him."

"So, when is this plan being put in motion?" Now the other person, a girl's voice that Hermione didn't recognized, chimed up.

"As soon as possible. Within the next two days, Dumbledore hoped."

Hermione had heard enough. With a stern, focused expression on her face, she turned back and quickly retraced her steps back to the library, where she had been for most of the afternoon. When she left, Draco had still been pouring over his latest Defence Again the Dark Arts essay, so she knew where to find him.

Quite right, upon entering, she saw the blond sitting underneath one of the windows at the back, his usually stoic face scrunched up in annoyance and frustration. Trying to not attract too much attention, she walked as quickly as she dared and plopped down in the chair next to him.

"Malfoy, this is serious." She whispered, but was only met with a snarl.

"Of course it's serious. Do you have any idea how long Lockhart expects this stupid essay to be?! And it's not even about something relevant, it's all to do with his own 'rise to fame', as he calls it."

Battling her desire to defend the handsome Dark Arts teacher, Hermione shook her head. "No, this isn't about the essay. It's about Harry."

Immediately, Draco perked up and seemed to be paying her his full attention.

"What about Harry? Is he in trouble?" he asked, his voice laced with worry.

"Not yet, but I overheard Ginny Weasley talking to someone in one of the corridors. Apparently, she's been talking to the headmaster and he's developed some sort of plan to draw Harry out in the open, away from Voldemort. According to Ginny, that will make him easy to k-kill" her voice caught a little at the prospect of her best friend in such danger, but then she regained her composure and continued. "Also, she said that Dumbledore thinks Voldemort will be an easier target if something serious happened to Harry, like it would make him unstable and weak against attacks."

Without a word, Draco just nodded, as if he had reached a decision. Gathering his things, he slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed Hermione's arm.

"Come on, we need to tell the Dark Lord about this immediately."

"Yes of course, but how do we get out? It's not as if we can just stroll out of the school or take the Floo without anyone noticing us!"

Sending her a cunning smile, Draco replied with a level of self-assuredness that Hermione envied him. "Of course _we_ won't do anything like that. But we both know someone who can."

Realization dawned on her and a smile slowly spread across her face. "Professor Snape!" she whispered breathlessly, before hurrying after Draco, who had already gone on ahead.

* * *

After their conversation earlier that day, neither Harry nor Voldemort had interacted much with each other, choosing instead to just enjoy the silence of the other's company. Harry had found a book on the Dark Lord's bookshelf that was highly fascination, and as such, had poured over the thick tome for several hours. Voldemort had been going through reports from his followers, something that sometimes made the man break the silence with an angry declaration of the stupidity of the follower in question, or he would silently nod along in agreement as his eyes scanned the page. Harry had found it very interesting to just watch how Voldemort worked, how his mind operated during the many hours he needed to dedicate to planning, organizing and generally keeping track of everything that went on in the Magical World.

However, the silence was broken when someone knocked on the door. Voldemort looked up, looking slightly surprised at the fact that someone was disturbing him at this hour, but calmly ordered them to come in.

Harry jumped up at the sight of Hermione and Draco, following directly after Snape, and was about to run to greet them when he noticed the grave expressions on their faces.

"Draco, Hermione, what's the matter?" he asked nervously, quickly putting the book on the table before him.

Neither of them replied, but Snape looked to Voldemort, bowed slightly, before explaining.

"My Lord, Dumbledore is prepared to make his move."

The next half hour went by in a flurry of activity. It had taken several minutes for Harry to calm Voldemort down, as the man had raged after hearing how Dumbledore planned to use Ginny Weasley as bait to lure Harry out from under his protection. Only after several windows had shattered, and subsequently repaired, did he calm down enough for Harry to coax him into sitting down and focus on what they would do now.

"So, obviously we need to make sure that Harry does not go anywhere without anyone accompanying him. Also, I want the wards surrounding the Manor strengthened. Put up another layer of defensive spell work if you have to. Just make sure it's impenetrable."

Snape nodded, bowed and then hurried away to fulfil his Lord's orders. Hermione and Draco were awkwardly remaining, but Voldemort calmed them down. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen for the next few days, according to what you heard the Weasley girl say. I suggest you two go back to your rooms and get some rest. I want to talk to Harry for a moment in private, but I'm sure he'll be joining you soon afterwards."

With an encouraging nod from Harry, the two of them left the room, Hermione only casting a worried glance at Harry before closing the door behind her.

Standing up, Voldemort walked around the desk so that he was directly facing Harry. The look on his face was disconcerting. His red eyes were a conflict of emotions, seemingly torn between determination, guilt, worry and an excited glint of eagerness.

"Harry, I didn't want to bring this up yet. Ideally, this wouldn't be done until much later in our courting period, but considering the circumstances, I think we don't have time to wait. If we do this, Dumbledore will have almost no chance of getting to any of us without us sensing it."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand." Harry replied, cautiously watching the man in front of him.

"I'm talking about a way for us to hasten the completion of the bond between us, a way that will ensure that we are both as near perfectly compatible as we can be. Of course, only when we are officially married will that connection be complete, but there is one ritual that comes before the marriage itself. Traditionally, it is done only a few weeks before the marriage, but there have been incidences of couples who have done it just a few weeks into their courting ritual, with no adverse effects whatsoever."

Harry was still majorly confused, which probably reflected on his face, because Voldemort smiled a little, before returning to his serious expression from earlier.

"Harry, I'm talking about an engagement ritual. A ritual that will form the basis that our marriage will build upon."

* * *

Next chapter should be full of action and drama! Hope you're all prepared! I haven't fully mapped out the line of events, but I can promise you that some of our more hated characters will be taken care of ;)

Until then, have a nice week (or day, month, year... Whatever).


	19. Chapter 19

*whew!* This week has been absolutely horrible. I've been bombarded with stuff to do for my societies in Uni, as well as being stuck with an injury that makes me unable to run for the foreseeable future. It's also painful as fuck to just walk around. Yes, I'm using the a/n to whine. Yes, I'm sorry. I'll stop now.

SO! This chapter! Gah, I always remember halfway through a story that I really am not good with battle scenes. I think I wrote and re-wrote the last half of this chapter like three times or something. Hopefully you'll all like it, but I apologize in advance if it's horrible!

That out of the way, read on and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Harry looked at Voldemort incredulously. "Engaged? What do you mean? How is that going to help defeat Dumbledore?"

The sudden proposal had come as a complete shock to him, causing him to take a few steps back. The last time they had discussed this topic, they had both agreed that the engagement ritual would be in accordance with traditions, and be performed just a few weeks before the marriage itself. However, now Voldemort was saying that they move the whole thing forward almost five years?!

Sensing Harry's confusion and apprehension, Voldemort quickly sat down, as to lessen the rather harsh way of laying the matter out he had used earlier.

"I know this sounds very foreign to you, Harry, but there is power in rituals such as can help defeat an enemy, granted that the parties involved are magically strong and compatible enough. The engagement ritual will strengthen the bond between us, making the magic shared between our two magical cores flow effortlessly between us. This will be a major advantage in a battle, where we might get separated and where one of us might have to face several enemies at once. The bond will also make us able to sense if the other is in danger, but also make a kind of link between our minds, making us able to communicate with each other mentally. This, however, takes practice and at first, the only communication we will be able to share is scenes or images without sound. However, it will still be highly useful as one of us can simply project an image of their surroundings, and the other will hopefully be able to tell from just that where the other is located."

Slowly realizing the sense in Voldemort's words, Harry waited without saying anything, though his arms were crossed across his chest, as if to say that he was still highly sceptical about this plan.

"My guess is that the Weasley girl will somehow try to convince you to meet her, that she has 'seen the light', so to speak, and is willing to join your side again. Had you not known about this plan, I'm willing to venture a guess that you would have leaped at the opportunity to regain one of your friends, and would have gone out to meet her alone."

Harry chose to ignore this little stab at what Voldemort liked to call his 'misplaced Gryffindor loyalty', and just nodded for the man to go on.

"My plan is to complete the ritual as soon as possible so that when little Ginevra shows up, we will be ready. Outwardly, we will pretend to play along, but I will station my followers all around you. They will obviously be disguised and hidden, but they will provide you with the security needed. At the same time, I will be moving in from the opposite direction, effectively trapping Dumbledore and his Order. If all goes to plan, the confusion will be enough to successfully discard of as many Order members as possible, as well as Dumbledore himself."

Voldemort had now risen again, and paced the floor while his voice grew more and more agitated as he explained. "Of course, I will also give you a portkey so that you can get out quickly if things seem to get out of hand. It will transport you directly to Riddle Manor, which Dumbledore has no way of finding, as I have covered it in magical wards and defences."

This little pause in the man's speech gave Harry the opportunity to chime in. "Okay, let's say that I will agree with this plan of yours. What does the ritual entail, exactly? How much preparation will go into it? Where will we hold it? To me, it seems like rituals such as these usually demand a lot of preparation and forethought. One can't just jump right into them."

A glimmer of pride appeared in Voldemort's eyes, as Harry two weeks ago had had no concept of rituals or what the entailed. Now, however, he was able to rationally consider the hindrances that might get in the way of actually carrying out the plan of bringing Dumbledore down.

"Don't worry, the engagement ritual is nothing like the complex rituals used for more binding contracts, such as marriage or magical vows. It is basically just a ceremonial way of giving each other promises that each person will be loyal to the other until the marriage vows are given, which effectively binds the two together, both magically and officially. The ritual is there mainly so that the magic within us both can recognize the intent proven and cause the bond to grow ever stronger between us. This is done so that, come the day of the marriage, our two magical cores are as good as completely fused and the only thing remaining is for the vows to be given and seal the bond officially."

Nodding slowly, Harry thought about what Voldemort had just told him. At first, he had been upset about this sudden declaration of his, that everything had to be done at once without even asking him what his opinion was. But now, after having been given an explanation, Harry saw the logic behind it. Frankly, he had to admit it would be rather useful.

"Okay, you've convinced me. But won't Dumbledore catch up on the fact that you'll be trapping him? He might be an evil old bastard, but he's not stupid. Despite what he's hoping for, I think that if I were to just jump up the minute I heard from Ginny, he would grow suspicious and be more wary of traps."

"That is certainly a possibility that I have taken into consideration. I never said it would be easy, but it is still the best chance we have to finally get rid of Dumbledore."

Harry froze a little. Suddenly he realized what this plan entailed. If they went through with this it meant that several people would get hurt, or worse, die. All that just so that Voldemort and he would be able to live in peace and so that Voldemort could achieve his goals. When Harry didn't reply, Voldemort cast a quick glance over at him and perfectly read what went on in his mind. After having spent so much time together lately, both of them were much better at understanding the other, even when no word had been spoken.

Without saying anything, Voldemort walked over to the young boy and wrapped his arms loosely around him. "Harry, I know you don't like the thought of people dying, but in this case, it's either them or us. If Dumbledore is allowed to live, he will make sure that no rest will be given either of us until we are both dead. You know this."

Gritting his teeth, Harry fought to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. "I know, I know! But I just find it so hard to believe that that is the only way for us to live in relative peace!"

Voldemort sighed and softly stroked Harry's hair, making the youth relax slightly. "It might be hard to bear with, but please Harry, sometimes you have to look past your own boundaries and do what needs to be done."

With a loud sigh, Harry freed himself from the man's arms and sat down in the armchair again. "I know." He muttered dejectedly, but then he seemed to shake the melancholy mood off, because he straightened his back and looked firmly at Voldemort again.

"So, when is this ritual taking place?"

* * *

Dumbledore was grinning while the quill danced across the parchment in front of him. Finally, this was the time when he would, once and for all, dispose of both the Potter boy _and _the Dark Lord. At the beginning, Harry Potter had simply been a useful pawn, a tool to bring down Voldemort. However, now, when the two of them had paired up, he no longer had a choice. The boy had to be taken care of. Luckily for him, the two youngest Weasley kids had proven very helpful in his quest. Though the boy had unfortunately been captured, Ginevra was still at his beck and call.

Finishing the letter with a quick scribble of his name at the end, Dumbledore rolled it up and tied it to the leg of the owl sitting ready in the window sill. He hadn't reached this far in society by just following the rules. No, this time he would be prepared. Chuckling, he envisaged the shock on their faces when they realized that he had taken them by surprise, that now they were going to die and there was no way to change that.

The headmaster watched the bird fly away into the distance, before he turned around and called for McGonagall. It was time for a certain redheaded girl to do her job.

* * *

Hedwig had finally returned after having been at Hogwarts for a few days and, from Hermione was telling him, thoroughly enjoying being spoilt by Hagrid, who seemed to view the snow owl as a substitute for his favourite student.

Harry was now stroking her feathers softly, smiling at the low coos she let out and the rather affectionate glance she threw him. At first, Medusa and Hedwig had not gotten off to a good start. The owl had stooped down to attack the snake the minute the reptile crawled out from the comfort of the bedcovers to see what was going on, and it was only by forcefully grabbing Medusa and putting her safely under his T-shirt that Hedwig stopped her attack. The snake had not been too pleased by the treatment, and Harry had had to apologize profusely for a solid ten minutes before she relented and accepted his apology. The two animals seemed to have reached some kind of tentative truce, but Harry still kept a close watch on them both, just to be safe.

"Hey girl, what do you think? Tonight is going to be the night Voldemort and I take one more step towards the full merging of the bond between us, you know?"

Though Hedwig wasn't able to reply, Harry still felt like she understood him and he felt better voicing his concerns out loud. It cleared his mind and calmed him down. Medusa just hissed something from her hiding place, probably meant to calm him down, but as she had just slightly woken up from her slumber, it sounded more like a soft, unintelligible hissing. Still, Harry appreciated the sentiment.

His contemplation was brought to a halt when someone knocked on the door, and Sirius stepped in without waiting for a reply. The man had been rather upset earlier that day when Harry told him about Voldemort's plan, he believed it was putting Harry in unnecessary danger. Also, he had violently stated his opinions on them performing the engagement ritual so early in their relationship. Because of this, it was understandable that Harry eyed his godfather with some trepidation and motioned for the man to sit down on the bed, though he said nothing.

Sirius sat still for a moment, leaning his elbows on his knees and staring down at his hands, which were folded in front of him. Then he looked up and looked Harry squarely in the eyes.

"Harry, I want to apologize for earlier today. My reaction was unwarranted and unnecessary. Instead of supporting you and guiding you, as a godparent should, I let my own prejudices get in the way and I said some things to you which I would very much like to erase. I apologize and I sincerely hope you will forgive me for what I said. Believe me, I only want what is best for you, but sometimes, I might not know what is best for _you_, only what _I_ think is best for you. From now on, let me be someone to whom you turn for advice, but please tell me if I make another mistake like the one today."

The pained, heartfelt apology hit Harry deeply and he almost felt his eyes tear up. With one quick, fluid motion he was seated in front of his godfather, his arms around the man's neck and his face buried in his shoulder.

"Don't think about it, Sirius. There's nothing to forgive. You only did what you believed was in my best interest and for that, I'm grateful. However, though I'm still young, I'm able to take decisions on my own."

Sirius smiled fondly and ruffled his head. "I know, cub, I know." Then, with a sudden jolt of energy, he rose and dragged Harry up with him.

"Now, I didn't only come here to apologize. Voldemort sent me to say that everything is ready and that you are to meet him in the entrance hall." Every trace of mirth was wiped from Sirius' face, and was replaced with a strange serious look that seemed alien on him.

The breath hitched in Harry's throat for a moment, but then he nodded. The time was come at last. No more waiting. After this evening, Voldemort and he would be fully prepared to face down Dumbledore and carry out their plan. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong.

* * *

They were standing in the middle of a forest grove, the stars were shining from a clear sky and an almost tangible silence cloaked their naked bodies. Harry had been surprised, as well as very uncomfortable, to know that this ritual would be performed 'skyclad', as Voldemort called it. From what he could understand, this was also normal in rituals in the Muggle world as well, within certain pagan worshippers. Now, he was anxiously trying to ignore how the cold breeze made the hairs on his arms stand on edge, as well as decidedly keeping his eyes off Voldemort, which made the older man chuckle.

Lucius was also present, as he was the one to oversee the ritual and make sure everything went according to plan. He was clothed in a simple black robe of a coarse material Harry didn't recognize. The blond now rose from the task he had been busy with, lighting a circle of candles around them, which cast an almost eerie shade on their faces.

"My Lord, Harry, are you ready?" he asked, his face deadly serious.

They both gave a curt, short nod, before stepping forward. Standing in front of a small tree trunk, they turned to face each other and then knelt down so that the trunk was between them. On the wooden surface lay their two wands, positioned so that one lay over the other. Voldemort held out his hands for Harry to take and Harry carefully places his hands in the upturned palms of his fiancée.

Nodding in approval, Lucius then started chanting, a low murmur that seemed to seep into Harry and make his blood rush faster and he could feel his magic tingling, threatening to spill from the tips of his fingers. Closing his eyes, Harry focused on the feeling that slowly started to build up within him. It felt like the core of his being was reaching out, out from the confines of his body and desperately searching for something. With a sudden shock of recognition, those tendrils met those of another one, and Harry felt, with a sudden sense of euphoria, how those strands of magic were seeping into him from the hands offered to him. If he had opened his eyes, Harry would have seen Voldemort's eyes light up with a sudden, overpowering sense of elation, before those red orbs closed to just enjoy the feeling of completeness.

However, the peace did not last. Without warning, a loud shout was heard from the forest and a bright red beam shot towards them. Had it not been for the honed reflexes of Voldemort, who spun around and immediately conjured a magical shield between them and their attackers, they would have both been hurt by the curse.

Suddenly, everything happened at once. From the forest's edge, a group of about seven people rushed forward, with the conspicuous figure of Albus Dumbledore leading the way. It took Harry only a moment to realize what the real trap had been. Of course Dumbledore had expected Ginny to be overheard, it was then only a matter of simple deduction for him to predict what would be Voldemort's next course of action. Since Voldemort valued power over most anything else, a ritual, such as the engagement ritual, which greatly enhanced both his own and Harry's magic, would be his preferred choice. How he had found them, Harry didn't know, but he assumed the headmaster had positioned spies all around the Manor to keep an eye out for any suspicious movements.

Voldemort was still keeping up the shield while continuously firing a string of hexes towards the quickly approaching group of Order members. Harry recognized a few of them with a sting of hurt. Both Arthur and Molly Weasley were there, their faces clearly shone with the desire for revenge for, what they imagined, killing their youngest son. A tall man with an earring who Harry didn't recognize seemed to be one of the more powerful in the group, alongside a rather terrifying man with what seemed to be a bright blue, spinning eye.

Lucius had wasted no time. When his Lord had conjured the shield, he had immediately pressed his wand towards the Dark Mark on his arm, and now the Death Eaters started appearing, one after the other. The furious cackling of Bellatrix Lestrange resounded throughout the clearing and Harry was amazed to see how several of the Order members seemed to hesitate for a moment, uncertainty and fear flickering through their eyes. But then Dumbledore fired another spell, hitting one of the Death Eaters squarely in the chest, causing him to fly several feet, again putting some courage back into his Order.

However, it was evident that the headmaster had underestimated the Dark Lord. Dumbledore had probably accounted for taking Voldemort unawares, in the middle of a ritual where he would be distracted by the magical cores joining. To a certain extent, this was true, but Voldemort had quickly realized the danger and, as the ritual hadn't progressed too far, had still been able to act quickly and with precision.

"Harry, come. We need to get you out of here." Lucius was by his side suddenly, a cloak was wrapped around him and a hand grabbed his arm, trying to pull him away from the towering form of Voldemort, who still hadn't moved a meter, even with the constant bombardment fired at him.

Harry was torn. On one hand, he wanted to stay by Voldemort's side, to fight alongside him and help him. On the other hand, he was still only twelve years old. Compared with the Dark Lord and Dumbledore, he was powerless. There was not much he could do to help, which frustrated him beyond measure. While these thoughts were rushing through his head, a Death Eater hit the ground just two meters away from him. The bone-white mask had slipped off and the dead, empty eyes of Rabastan Lestrange stared back at him. Somehow, this seemed to awaken a raw anger within him, a sudden frustrated rage that Harry had never experienced before. Suddenly he was overcome with the desire to, once and for all, destroy Albus Dumbledore and all he stood for. Blast it all to hell if that meant taking a stand which involved having to kill someone. Regardless of which side he chose, lives would be lost, and Harry would rather stay on the side of the one who didn't lie to him, use him and then discard him when he was no longer of any value to him.

Snatching his arm from Lucius' grip, Harry spun around and stood next to Voldemort. Something within him seemed to guide his actions, an inexplicable urge to touch the tall man overcame him, and Harry obeyed. Being careful not the break the other's concentration, he wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed his palms against the man's bare stomach. He gasped audibly as the same feeling as during the ritual returned, only increased tenfold. Instead of their magic slowly trickling into the other's body, a reservoir seemed to have been opened, and Voldemort's magic rushed into him, for a moment completely stunning him. Luckily, his own magic didn't have the same effect on Voldemort. Instead of being paralyzed by the sudden influx of power, the Dark Lord felt his magic strengthen, double in power and expand to an almost painful degree.

Dumbledore had now fought his way to a point only ten meters from where Voldemort and Harry were standing, and red eyes locked with brilliant blue. Suddenly, the rest of the battleground seemed to fade away, the only thing that remained was the form of the headmaster, his silvery beard and hair flashing about him in the wind.

"Tom, give it up." Dumbledore finally spoke, his first words to them since the start of the battle. "We both know that the Magical world is not suited for your ideals, for your visions. You are bringing us all into unimaginable chaos if you continue. This must end here today, my boy." His voice was silent and Harry recognized it as the voice the headmaster used whenever he intended to convince a pupil or teacher of something.

Voldemort only laughed, a cold, humourless laughter that frightened even Harry.

"You are wasting your efforts, old man. The one who is dying here tonight isn't me, nor is it Harry. Tonight, this forest will become your grave and I will be the one to put you into it."

Harry was watching Voldemort's face as he spoke, and was almost pained by how much hurt, betrayal and anger was etched into the man's features. Harry suddenly realized that this battle for so much more than just a battle between two opposing sides in a political power struggle. To Voldemort, this battle was highly personal, it was his vendetta against someone who had once wronged him and now it was finally time for him to take his just revenge.

Dumbledore's face darkened and he sneered coldly. "You never completed the ritual. You don't have the power to face me as you are now."

"Well, that's were you are wrong. You have underestimated us both then, if you think we are unable to defeat you."

As if guided by an invisible hand, Harry picked up his wand, which had lain forgotten next to the tree trunk, and rose to stand side by side with Voldemort, the tips of their wands both facing directly at the headmaster. Voldemort quickly sent Harry a sideways glance, as if to say 'are you ready?' Harry only nodded without taking his eyes off Dumbledore, who now seemed to sense the danger he was in.

However, before the old man had the chance to do anything, Voldemort grabbed Harry's hand and everything exploded. At least, that's what it looked like for Harry. In actuality, when Voldemort's hand touched his, their magic seemed to respond to the situation they were in and both their cores united against a common enemy. Two brilliant lights shot from each wand, united into one single beam of silver, before it hit Albus Dumbledore with enough force to send him flying halfway across the grove.

Suddenly, the rest of the world returned and Harry saw how the grass was strewn with fallen bodies, both masked and barefaced. However, only two of the Order members were still standing, a pink-haired young woman and the man with the one blue eyes. When he saw their leader hit by the curse from Voldemort's and Harry's wands, he immediately made his way over to his companion and, before either of the remaining Death Eaters had time to react, disapparated.

With the danger now over, Harry felt his knees give out and he sank down unto the soft grass. It felt so unreal. Dumbledore was dead, the Order scattered, Voldemort and he had joined their cores together… He registered that Voldemort was saying something to him, but somehow he was incapable of comprehending his words. Only when strong arms lifted him up was he aware of just how exhausted he was. Relieved that he could finally relax, Harry closed his eyes and rested his head against a familiar, strong shoulder.

* * *

SO, what do you guys think?! I hope that wasn't horribly anti-climactic for anyone? Again, battle scenes are not my forte, so I hope it wasn't too bad. I was pretty happy with it in the end, so I hope you will be as well!

I think there's only going to be one, possibly two more chapters coming up! I can't believe that it's already nearing the end. This story is the longest I've ever written and I'm very, very proud of it. All thanks goes to SinoPrisca for giving me this lovely story idea and kicking my butt into writing fanfiction again! It's been so much fun! (and very frustrating, at times :P )


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: **I, unfortunately, own nothing to do with Harry Potter and will probably never do so. I gain nothing from writing this story, I simply do it for my own entertainment.

And I'm back! This is the penultimate chapter, everyone! Sorry for all the MAJOR fluff in this one, but I thought it might be nice to end on the fluffier side of things after so much action in the last chapter ;)

Again, thank you all so much for your support, encouragement and kind words! They have all made me strive to put out a new chapter every week and I'm happy to say that I've actually managed to publish a chapter a week throughout the writing of the story, despite a rather busy schedule. It's all thanks to you guys! *throws cookies and chocolates to everyone*

Now, sit down and enjoy the chapter!

* * *

A soft light was the only thing which alerted Harry of the fact that he had woken from his sleep. Without opening his eyes, he revelled in the warmth of sunshine on his face and the faint rays of light that hit his eyes just so that the inside of his eyelids seemed to shine a bright pink. Then he became conscious of the fact that he was lying on something soft and warm, like a blanket. Opening his eyes to find out where exactly he was, Harry found that he was lying on a bench in one of the conservatories of Malfoy Manor. Around him grew big, colourful flowers, some of which were climbing up alongside the walls of the room, as if reaching for the sun streaming in from the glass roof.

Sitting up, Harry looked around to see if he were alone and his eyes immediately met a pair of stunningly red eyes shining back at him. Voldemort was standing at the entrance to the conservatory, silently watching over his young fiancée as he slept. The battle in the woods had proved very taxing for Harry, as he had performed what was usually considered an impossible feat, to fully complete an engagement ritual of his own volition and without someone to oversee the proceedings. Usually, the role of the overseer was, through certain chants and signs, to restrain the magic just enough for it to carefully enter the two parties. Without such a person, the chance of the strain on the body being too high was enormous, but somehow Harry Potter had done so without hesitation and with complete success. Shaking his head, but with a small smile on his lips, Voldemort walked up to Harry and sat down next to him.

"Hello, little one. How do you feel?"

"Don't call me that, I'm not _that_ little." Harry grumbled, but didn't manage to maintain the insulted face, as his face quickly broke out into a smile again. "I feel fine, more than fine actually. I feel rested, complete and very happy – serene almost."

As he was talking, Harry observed his hands lying on his lap as if he saw them for the first time. It didn't completely make sense to him, logically speaking, but he felt like something that had, up until this point, pressed him down had released his grip and he was free to do whatever he wanted.

Sighing lightly, Voldemort nodded. "Yes, I think I know what you mean. These last few days have been strange. Though I had regained what I thought was a full range of emotion, after the ritual I have found myself confronted with feelings I never knew before. It is as if the ritual enhanced every emotion that I had twofold, and I'm only now coming to terms with it."

Harry sent him a surprised look. It was highly unusual for Voldemort to disclose anything that had to do with his own feelings. 'Is this another one of the side-effects of the ritual?' he wondered. Deciding that receiving an answer to that would be next to impossible, as the man hardly knew what had happened himself, Harry let the matter go for now, but with the full intention of bringing it up at some later time when they both knew a little more.

"So, what happens now? Dumbledore is dead, the Order is basically obliterated, Ron is still in the cellar here, and Hermione is firmly on our side. There is no more anyone to fight, to protect ourselves against."

Harry had, without thinking, slid across the bench so that his head was leaning against the Dark Lord's shoulder and his arm was casually intertwined with the man's arm. Voldemort tensed up for a fraction of a second, but then he relaxed and subconsciously pulled the boy slightly closer to him.

"Now, Harry, we work towards our goals. No more will you be subjected to that old coot's plans. From now on, you will be just Harry Potter, student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Then, when you turn seventeen, I hope that you will stand by my side as we both give each other our vows."

Voldemort had turned very serious all of a sudden, and he gently turned Harry around to face him.

"I might have been the reason why you weren't able to grow up with your family. I want to make that right again by being that family for you. Harry, know that I will always have your best interest at heart and don't hesitate to come to me with anything that you are wondering about, are insecure about, or scared of. I might not have the best experience when it comes to such things, but I can promise you here and now, I will do my best."

It suddenly hit Harry that he must have been out for a long time, enough time to give Voldemort time to think everything through, and that this confession was the result of many hours of silent soul searching. Without saying anything, Harry reached up and hugged Voldemort tight, a hug which the wizard returned with a small smile.

"Thank you." Harry said as he pulled away. Those two words seemed to say all that was necessary and they both knew that his feelings were all contained within them, saying anything more was unnecessary.

"Before I go back to Hogwarts though, what about Ginny? She's still at the school and I'm certain she is not going to just let the fact that her parents are dead and her brother imprisoned go anytime soon."

Voldemort rose from his seat and pulled Harry up with him. "Don't worry about her, I've already taken care of that. It seems like your godfather pulled some strings and contacted a friend of his, one Remus Lupin, to bring both the Weasley kids to his werewolf pack. Lupin assured both Black and myself that they won't be killed, but that life certainly won't be easy for them from now on. And as for escaping… Well, let's just say that two unarmed teenagers on foot is nothing to a werewolf. They'd catch up to them in a heartbeat."

Surprisingly, Harry was relieved that his former best friend and his sister were now gone from his life forever. Though Ron had been a good friend during his first year at Hogwarts, the redhead had shown his true colours and Harry was not likely to want him back anytime soon. To Voldemort he only nodded.

"Speaking of Sirius, where is he?" Harry asked, wanting to change the topic.

He was surprised to see a slight hint of amusement flicker over Voldemort's face. "Well, it seems Black decided he needed some more time with his friend, Lupin. Apparently, they got over some disagreement they had and are now making up for lost time."

The slight stress on the word 'friend' made Harry realize just what Voldemort was hinting at, and he blushed heavily. "Oh" he simply stated, which caused Voldemort to chuckle loudly.

"Don't worry, your godfather should be back within the next four days, but until then you will have to do without him, I'm afraid." The slight teasing tone was still lingering in his voice, and Harry shot him a dark look.

"You're teasing me, aren't you?" he grumbled, much to the amusement of the Dark Lord.

"Why, yes, Harry. I'm glad you picked up on that fact." Rising from the bench, Voldemort turned towards him with an arm extended in front of him, and Harry grabbed it so that the man could help pull him up from his little nest of blankets and sunshine.

As they were walking through the corridors of Malfoy Manor, Harry suddenly remembered something. Anxiously turning towards Voldemort, his green eyes clearly showing the distress he was feeling, he blurted out

"What about the remaining Order members? From what I could ascertain, one of the men at the grove seemed very strong, the one with the strange, blue eye. Are you sure he won't manage to reform the Order and bring it back?"

Voldemort didn't immediately answer him, but his face was calm. At last he shook his head. "No, I don't think Moody will be able to do much about it. The one person who had the power and the authority to keep the Order alive was Dumbledore. The Order died with him. The chances of the Ministry listening to the likes of 'Mad-eye' Moody are rather slim, even non-existent. He might be able to gather a few people who are loyal to Dumbledore, even after his death, but it will not cause any major trouble. My Death Eaters will be able to take care of them with ease."

Harry was calmed by this, Voldemort's words made sense and he presented his opinion in a carefully considered way that soothed his worries and made him believe that he could finally live his life without having to worry about things no teenager should ever have to think about. Not knowing how to express this in words, Harry briefly hugged Voldemort's arm close to him and the man had only to glance at the boy's face to realize the intention he was trying to convey.

"Come on, now. I think it's time for you, now that you've come back to full health, to return to Hogwarts and your friends, don't you think?" Voldemort asked and smiled when Harry's face lit up with a bright grin.

"You mean I can go back already?" he exclaimed, his excitement almost caused him to throttle Voldemort with a hug, but he restrained himself to just a light squeeze of the other's arm.

"Of course. Now that there are no one there who can seriously threaten your safety, it should not be a problem. Of course, you might experience rumours and general badmouthing, as everyone knows your connection to me, but no one should have the courage to openly go against you anymore. Just to be safe, I will have Severus keep an eye out for you."

Now Harry no longer bothered with keeping his glee contained, and he bounced along down the corridor, followed by a highly amused Voldemort, who shook his head at his fiancée's antics.

* * *

Hermione watched as Draco and Harry bantered about something to do with Quidditch. She stopped paying attention to what they were saying a long time ago, preferring rather to simply watch the two of them. It was hard to believe that they had both been involved in the threat of war between the Light and Dark sides, Harry because Dumbledore saw him as his primary pawn to use against Voldemort, and Draco because his father was the right-hand man of said Dark Lord. However, now everything had miraculously sorted itself out, or rather, that was the story Harry had given her. She suspected that he was hiding a lot from her, but for now she was content to let him keep his secrets, confident that her best friend would share them with her eventually.

As for Draco, the two of them had spent much time together while Harry was at the Manor. The absence of their common friend had brought them together and Hermione now considered Draco one of her closest friends, despite their continual banter. She was surprised that the pureblood heir could be so… human. Up until this point, she had grown accustomed to seeing him as a cold, pampered brat who enjoyed flaunting his status around as something to be envied. Now, on the other hand, he had shown her sides to him that she never thought him capable of. On the first night after Harry had moved back to the Manor, after the whole incident with Ron, Draco had come to her and poured out his worries for his adopted brother. That moment, when his blue eyes shone with anxious protectiveness, was when Hermione had decided to open her heart to him and confess her own fears about the future. Now this had become a habit, every time one of them encountered a problem or something that upset them, they would go to the other and talk it over. At the beginning, it was simply therapeutic, but Hermione found that she no longer could seem to imagine a time without these talking sessions. They, and Draco's presence as well, had become too precious to her for her to let go of. Hermione was not a ready lover, but where she loved, she loved passionately (*), and she had quickly come to terms with the fact that her originally friendly feelings towards the blond had developed into something deeper.

"I'm telling you! They _are_ going to win the World Cup in two years, there is simply no question about it." Draco yelled and almost seemed to want to stomp his foot to highlight his point.

"Whatever you say, Draco. Whatever you say." Harry replied and rolled his eyes, turning away from the fuming blond and addressing Hermione.

"Say, it's a Hogsmeade weekend. Let's go and get some sweets!"

Hermione smiled and grabbed the hand that was offered to her. "Sure, sounds like a good idea!"

The quick walk down into the village was pleasant, as they walked with arms interlinked and Draco told stories about how Hogsmeade once had been a bastion of elitist purebloods, until a rather nasty story about one of their more prominent members leaked to the public, and all the inhabitants chose to move away from the scandal. Because of this, housing prices were lowered, giving everyday witches and wizards the opportunity to settle near the school where their children where. Soon, the community became what it now was, a charming, booming little community where everyone from squibs to purebloods lived side by side.

"It also helps having such delicious sweets close at hand" Draco ended his story as they pushed the door open to Honeydukes "I mean, how could anyone be fighting with Drooble's Best Blowing Gum near at hand?"

Later that night, as Hermione and Harry both found themselves in the room Harry had been given on direct orders from Voldemort, as the man had quickly obtained power over the Ministry after Dumbledore's downfall, Hermione decided to bring up the topic she had anxiously waited to ask her friend.

"Harry, have you thought about your future at all? I mean, the whole thing with Voldemort and all?" her voice was soft and careful, as if she was afraid Harry would recoil from this topic, but to her relief he actually seemed to welcome the question.

"I have thought about it. A lot, actually." He tipped his head backwards and gazed at the ceiling. "I'm still so confused, though. I can't be sure that what I'm feeling is love, you know? But I do know that I deeply care for him, that it makes me happy when he's around, when he talks to me as if he appreciates what I have to say, and when he gives me small little signs of affection. I used to think him incapable of caring, but he has certainly proved otherwise. I know that he will do his utmost to protect me from whatever danger I might be in, though it sometimes feels a little too overprotective at times." He added with a slight grin and Hermione smiled as she remembered the possessive glances the man had thrown Harry every time he thought he wasn't looking.

"I'm not sure if Voldemort will ever be able to, or admit to, feel love himself, but I'm confident that if I do accept his proposal and give him my vows when I turn seventeen, that he will always strive to make me happy."

Harry had not been looking at her when he said this, but Hermione could still see the look in his eyes. Even if her friend might not be conscious of it yet, even to himself, she could read the feelings in his green eyes and she knew that the tenderness that Harry now felt for Voldemort could, and would, develop into something deeper. However, she kept this to herself. Voicing her opinion on this would probably scare Harry more than comfort him, and as such, she chose to let her best friend realize the truth and nature of his feelings for himself in due time.

"Harry, I have seen him with you and I'm confident that he will do his best to always have your best interests at heart." She simply said, placing a hand on his hand. Harry gave her a thankful smile and lightly hugged her.

"Thank you, 'Mione. I hope you're right." Yawning heartily, he stretched his arms above his head and fell back unto the soft pillows. "But for now, lets just enjoy the time we have here at Hogwarts. I don't know about you, but I'm rather looking forward to living like a normal teenage boy should, with all the trials and tribulations that accompanies it!"

Laughing, she stood up and patted his leg. "Be careful what you wish for, Harry. Perhaps you might even come to miss being in life-threatening situations when you're faced with the horrors of love stricken girls and the constant worrying about pimples and whatnot."

His laughter followed her into the corridor, and she shook her head a little. Despite her slight worrying, Hermione was confident that everything would turn out all right in the end. Somehow, her gut just told her that everything would be just fine.

* * *

*: Challenge: does anyone know from where I got this line? Hint: it's from a famous Victorian novel

So, I hope you guys liked this chapter! The next, and last, chapter will be jumping forward in time to when Harry is seventeen. Then we'll have to see just what he decides to do, will he accept Voldemort's proposal or will he walk away to fashion a life completely of his own? Only time will tell!


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing and never will (unfortunately...)

WOW! I can't believe this is the last chapter! This story has been so much fun to write and has taken up most of my summer vacation, which it was definitely worth! I'm so, so happy for all your kind reviews and comments every week! Also, **NightRain1077**, you got the challenge of last chapter right! The line if from 'North and South' by Elizabeth Gaskell correct! Here you go, a huge tray of cyber-cookies of your choice!

Also, a huge thanks, again, to SinoPrisca for the idea behind this story! I never would've written it without the discussions we've had, throwing story ideas around like crazy!

Hope you all enjoy this last chapter! There is an explicit scene at the end, for those of you who don't like that stuff, so if you don't want to read it, you can just skip it. :)

* * *

**The fated union! The Boy-Who-Lived and the Dark Lord Voldemort tie the knot!**

_Dear reader_

_It is with the utmost excitement I write this article! Today yours truly, through a private source, found out that the rumours that have been gaining strength over the last couple of years, of a marriage between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort (formerly simply known as You-Know-Who), are true! The legacy of Albus Dumbledore, whose wish it was for the young, handsome Mr Potter to defeat the leader of the Dark side, seems to have now finally been cast aside. Now, the Wizarding world faces a new era, a time of peace and union between our two sides. _

_As you are all probably well aware, Lord Voldemort ceased control of the Ministry of Magic soon after the death of Dumbledore. Despite several protests, he has led the country with a strong, but just, hand. For the first time in history we can now proudly say that muggleborn are now on an equal footing with children from pureblood families, as Lucius Malfoy, current Minister of Magic, has made sure to track and inform both children and their parents in the important years during which the children grow up. Now, when they side by side enter the Great Hall at Hogwarts, both muggleborn and pureblood alike are proudly able to say that they are a part of our wonderful society. _

_Though not much has been said of Mr Potter himself, the young man having chosen to rather avoid your trusted journalist, he has been dutifully worked on his studies and now, as graduation has come and passed, just two weeks ago, that young man now faces yet another milestone in his life. From what I could ascertain, a marriage contract between young Potter and the Dark Lord Voldemort was drawn up, waiting for the signature of both parties, when Harry Potter was adopted by Lucius Malfoy and his family. However, there seems to have been no attempt at forcing the young boy into this union, to the confusion of many. With a reputation as a ruthless Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort showing a patient, compassionate human side to him was, undoubtedly, a shock to many. It is, however, quite the case. During these last six years, Harry Potter has spent most of his time at Hogwarts and, as he stated the few times yours truly was actually able to obtain an interview, that his primary focus was to live as a regular teenage boy. _

_Today, nonetheless, marks the day when Harry Potter will once again be forced to discard his adopted role as 'regular teenage boy' and take up the new title of Lord Voldemort's consort. The wedding is to take place in one week and, from what I could find out, it is going to be a small, private ceremony with only the closest of family present. _

_For now, all we can do is anxiously await that day, silently celebrating such a promising match. This union essentially shows that the former struggle between Light and Dark has been abolished and that now, in their stead, a prospering new society is taking form. Only the future will show what is in store for us, but this author, at least, is certainly left very hopeful and impatiently waiting to bring you all the words of both Mr Potter and Lord Voldemort on that fateful day, just one week from now. _

_Rita Skeeter _

Harry smiled slowly as he put the paper down. Of course Rita would write an article like that, he thought, but somehow he didn't mind it at all.

'Let them all wonder and make up silly theories. None of them can get close to the truth anyway.' He mused as he quietly folded the Prophet together and laid it on a nearby coffee table. He was sitting in his favourite living room in Malfoy Manor, and he found himself looking out of the large French windows. The article had made him nostalgic and contemplative, and Harry thought back on the last six years and what had happened in that, to him, brief span of time.

Voldemort had been true to his promise. Never once had he pressured Harry into thinking about any future beyond his seventeenth birthday. Instead, he had diligently helped the young boy with his studies, always pressing him whenever Voldemort thought Harry wasn't trying hard enough.

Grinning slightly, Harry especially remembered one episode in particular, where he had been trying to master the Expecto Patronum charm, which he repeatedly failed at.

* * *

"_You're not trying hard enough" Voldemort growled as he threw his hands up in exasperation. "Simply focus on a strong memory, usually a happy one. Purge everything but that memory from your mind." _

_Throwing his wand down on the chair, Harry spun around to face Voldemort, who had made himself Harry's teacher for the afternoon. "Well, if you're so bloody brilliant, why don't you show me, then?"_

_Voldemort didn't even deign to reply. He simply arched an eyebrow at Harry, before haughtily procured a silvery Patronus in the shape of a snake. Wandlessly. Harry was too upset to notice how the snake's eyes were a curious silvery-green, and when Voldemort still didn't say anything, his already fiery temper was fuelled even more. _

"_Urgh, why do you have to be like that, huh?!" he shouted and almost stomped his foot against the floor. "Why do you have to look down on me, tease me, and humiliate me for being what you think is a failure?" _

_Before he had time to draw his breath to continue his tirade, Voldemort had crossed the floor in two long strides, and drawn Harry into a tight hug, which effectively cut off whatever the boy had wanted to say. _

"_Harry, I don't think of you as a failure. Don't you every think so. I apologize if I can sometimes be impatient when teaching you, but I mean well. From now on, tell me when you feel that you need some more guidance, and I will do my best to explain how to perform the spell better." _

_His voice was calm and Harry slowly felt his heartbeat slow down and his eyes closed as he rested his head against Voldemort's strong chest. _

"_No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have exploded like that, it was uncalled for." Pulling away, he picked his wand up once more and rolled the sleeves of his robe up so that they were out of the way. "Let me try one more time." _

_Voldemort nodded and sat down in the armchair he had been using earlier. Closing his eyes, Harry fixed his mind on a memory that might've seemed too weak, but was very important to him. It was simply of one time where Voldemort and he had been sitting in the garden of Malfoy Manor during a lovely summer evening. Neither of them spoke, but Harry had rested his head against the man's shoulder and Voldemort had simply smiled softly and let him stay like that. No words, no touch except that of his head against Voldemort's shoulder, but somehow that memory seemed to fill his heart so much that it was curious it didn't overflow. _

"_Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, and, to his amazement, a large silver snake coiled out of his wand and slithered around his feet for a few moments before it disappeared. _

_Harry looked up and met Voldemort's eyes, which were slightly wider than usual and filled with something that seemed like a mixture of shock, amazement and pride. _

"_I told you I could do it if you just gave me some time." _

* * *

Laughing to himself, Harry shook his head at his younger self. There had been so many of those scenes, where Voldemort and he would get into a huge argument about something small and insignificant. They quickly realized they both had a rather short fuse, and when they disagreed on something, it usually ended in a screaming match. However, this quickly passed and it usually never took longer than a couple of days for them to make up. Somehow, Harry really appreciated these moments of heated discussion. It made Voldemort seem very human, so much like himself. The man had changed so much. When they had first met, the man had just regained his body and his emotions, which he struggled to come to terms with. Now, however, Voldemort had finally grown to accept, and even appreciate, being able to feel anything other than hate and rage again. It still surprised Harry though, when sometimes the man would hug him or kiss him, seemingly on a whim and just smile slyly when Harry looked to him for an explanation for these random shows of affection.

Yes, though Harry recognized that a life with a Dark Lord would never be easy, he had fully committed himself to a future together with Voldemort. He had grown so used to his presence that simply being separated for a few days felt strange and uncomfortable, and it was always with eager anticipation he longed to be reunited with the man again.

Harry was brought out of his musings by a quiet knock on the door, which was opened to reveal Hermione and Sirius. Hermione was dressed in a dark blue dress, with narrow white bands encircling her waist and some of them braided into her hair. Sirius looked slightly uncomfortable in his dark, formal dress robes, but the proud grin he sported when his eyes met Harry's was not to be mistaken.

"Are you ready, Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice comforting.

Harry nodded and rose, allowing his robes to fall into place. Sirius' eyes warmed at the sight of him and Hermione beamed, and for good reason. Narcissa had eagerly grabbed the opportunity to find Harry's wedding robes, and the young man dreaded to think of how many hours he had spent during the last two weeks, trying on robe after robe without her ever being satisfied. However, they finally found some that they were both completely smitten with, a set of black robes with a dark green, almost black, trimming along the hems. On the front, over his heart, the Black family crest was embroidered, as Sirius had insisted that Harry was now adopted into his own family, and on the other side, Voldemort's own crest, the ancient crest of Salazar Slytherin, proudly shone.

"Yes, I'm ready." He replied and walked over to them, linking his arm with the arm Sirius offered him. "Let's go."

As they walked down the long, grave corridors of Malfoy Manor, Harry found it hard to believe that this was the day he had been looking forward to for the last year or so. When he was younger, he had been insecure and uncertain about even marrying the Dark Lord at all, despite feeling a certain amount of friendly affection towards the man, but as he grew older, his feelings matured as well. Some people say that love at first sight does not exist, that love only comes with time and patiently getting to know one another. For Harry, this was very much the case. Somewhere along the way, he had fallen deeply in love with Voldemort, and now, as he was walking towards what would finally unite them, he couldn't be happier.

They stopped before a pair of large, black double doors. Sirius cast a questioning glance at Harry, who nodded, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten almost painfully. Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I'm very, very happy for you, Harry." She whispered, before pressing the door handles down and pushing the doors open. Giving him a little nudge, Sirius started walking and Harry had no choice but to keep up. The eyes of what felt like a horde of people turned towards them and the raven-haired teenager unconsciously tightened his grip on his godfather's arm. However, he seen relaxed as he saw the love and happiness all these people seemed to emit, like a tangible something in the air. Wherever he looked, a friendly glance or smile met him, and Harry couldn't help a large grin from spreading across his face.

The yellow eyes of Remus Lupin, who was sitting in the front row, seemed to glow the brightest of all. It was only two years ago that Sirius and Remus had finally gotten their act together, and now they lived together in a small cottage on the outskirts of Remus' territory. That way, Remus could still retain control of his pack, while also spending most of his time with his husband. Though this meant that Harry only saw them a few times a month, when they all had time, he was very happy that Sirius had finally owned up to his feelings for the man and proposed.

All thoughts of others were, however, wiped from his mind when his eyes fastened upon the man standing up at the podium, face towards him and piercing red eyes seemingly penetrating him unto the very core of his being. Voldemort was dressed in similar robes to himself, except that the crests on his were reversed, so that the Black crest rested on the right side of his robes, while the Slytherin crest proudly shone on the left side. A small flicker of emotion passed over his face when their eyes met, but other than that, the Dark Lord looked perfectly stoic.

Sirius let go of his arm as they reached him, leaving Harry facing his soon-to-be husband. Voldemort reached out his hands, and Harry quickly took them, feeling a sense of security as those strong fingers wrapped around his slightly smaller ones.

Lucius, who had been chosen to oversee the ritual, stepped up, cleared his throat, and held his wand a few inches above their interlinked hands.

"We are all gathered here today to witness the bonding of Lord Voldemort and Harry James Potter Black, as a fulfilment of that agreement made so many years ago. Together they have gone through the period of bonding and now, after fully knowing what this union entails, they have both committed to stand by the other's side in whatever happiness or misfortune they might face."

Harry heard a loud sniffle from the crowd, and when he looked, he saw Hermione, sitting next to Draco, wipe a tear from her eye. Draco, however, looked rather pleased, as his arm lay casually around her shoulders and she leaned slightly towards him for comfort. The blond met Harry's eye and winked slyly at him, making Harry smile and shake his head almost imperceptibly.

"This ritual is now the final step towards a union of body, soul and magic, and as such, I ask you both to give each other your vows, as they will be the symbol of your future life together."

Lucius stepped back a few steps, giving them some room. Voldemort stepped closer to Harry, and without breaking eye contact, slowly recited his vows in a clear, strong voice.

"I, Lord Voldemort, vow to always be there for you, Harry James Potter Black, whenever you may need me. You have shown me what goodness, faith and trust can be found in humanity, something which I had given up as an impossibility. You have shown me sides of myself I thought were fully lost. You have stood by me, even in times where any other person would have abandoned me. As you have shown me how to truly care for another human being, I will do whatever is in my power to always honour you, care for you, and treasure you, until the end of days."

Sometime during this speech, Harry had started crying. He hadn't noticed until Voldemort stopped speaking, but when the man carefully lifted his hand to wipe away the tears, Harry sharply drew his breath, and tried to control his beating heart. It took him a few moments to regain the power of speech, but then he shakily began to recite his own vows, his voice growing stronger and more confident as he went on.

"I, Harry James Potter Black, vow to you, Lord Voldemort, to support you, cherish you, and trust you, as you have supported, cherished and trusted me these last six years. You have taught me patience, strength and the ability to believe in myself, even during the darkest of times. You have stood by my side, silently pushing me on to become better, to become stronger and more confident. And now, as I stand here, ready to start my life by your side, I can confidently say that I now have the strength and the confidence to be your husband and to proudly stand by your side until the end of days."

As if reacting to their words, the air slowly started to shimmer and tremble, as if it was made of thin glass, and a soft breeze seemed to blow through the assembled crowd, as the magic concentrated upon the two people facing each other, their eyes never straying from each other and their hands tightly linked.

As the magic died down, Lucius stepped forward and put a hand on each of Harry and Voldemort's shoulders. "Congratulations, you both have my most sincere well-wishes!" Then, turning towards Voldemort, he added in a quieter voice "My Lord, I happily leave Harry in your hands from now on. I still see him as my son, just as much as Draco, from now on, he is free to live his own life by your side."

Voldemort only nodded, but they both knew that he appreciated his friend's words. Harry tightly hugged the blond, not saying anything, however no words were needed as they both knew what the other felt.

Turning back to his now husband, Harry reached out his hand, which Voldemort instantly took. "Are you ready to suffer through Sirius' antics for the rest of the day?" he asked playfully, and Voldemort rolled his eyes.

"Anything for you, Harry. Anything for you."

* * *

The party didn't end until early the next morning. However, neither Voldemort nor Harry was there to bid their guests farewell. They were far more preoccupied with something slightly more interesting.

"You know, these robes look absolutely stunning on you, but I have come to the conclusion that they will have to go." Voldemort growled, as he slammed the door to his bedroom shut, staring hungrily at Harry, who playfully winked at him from beside the bed.

"Oh? And I went through so much trouble to get them too! I rather think I want to keep them on for as long as possible. Don't want to get Narcissa mad at me for ruining them, you know?" he teased, but Voldemort seemed to be in no mood for playful banter tonight.

Before Harry had time to react, he was picked up and almost thrown unto the bed, with Voldemort hovering over him. "Now I've got you right where I want you, Harry. I dare you to get away from me now!"

Harry just laughed, before he reached up and pulled Voldemort's head towards him, effectively crashing their lips together in a hungry kiss. This was far from the first time they had been intimate with each other, but somehow, tonight was different. Perhaps the knowledge that they now were officially and magically bound together heightened the pleasure that seemed to permeate though Harry's body as Voldemort's long, thin fingers traced over his chest and playfully lingered just at the hem of his boxers, perhaps it was simply a matter of pent up desire. Whatever it was, Harry couldn't get enough of it.

"Ugh, T-Tom, please! You're being mean!" he whined, as Voldemort pinned his hands above his head while planting small, butterfly kisses all along Harry's jaw and throat.

Looking up into Harry's eyes, Voldemort smirked, making his red eyes sparkle with mirth. "Oh, I'm sorry, Harry. Let me make it up to you." With one, quick movement, he pulled Harry's boxers down, revealing the already dripping hard-on Harry sported. "Well, well, someone's impatient tonight?"

However, Voldemort now having removed his hold on Harry's wrists, Harry grabbed the opportunity to turn the situation around. He quickly slipped out from underneath the other man and pushed him so that he landed on his back on the soft bed. Straddling his chest, Harry triumphantly looked down on him.

"Seems like you're not the only one who gets all the fun tonight, my dear Tom!" he exclaimed, before quickly tearing off the only halfway unbuttoned white shirt Voldemort wore. The man made no attempt to hinder him, he simply watched Harry as the teenager impatiently threw the garment unto the floor. However, when the shirt was discarded, Voldemort decided that he had waited long enough. With a quick movement of his wrist, they were both fully naked, and Harry gasped as the other man's erection rubbed against his own.

Flipping them over again, Voldemort softly brushed a stray strand of hair away from Harry's face, before he reached down and kissed him. This was completely different from the heated, passionate kiss just moments earlier. Now every emotion, everything Voldemort felt impossible to convey in just words, was poured into this one action, and Harry wrapped his fingers in the man's long, black tresses to deepen the kiss.

While still kissing him, Voldemort reached down and positioned one of Harry's legs over his shoulder, carefully pushing one finger into his husband. Harry arched his back and tightly fisted the sheets in his hands as Voldemort hit that one spot within him that made stars dance before his eyes. Seeing Harry's eyes light up with pleasure and a needy moan escape from those delicious lips, Voldemort inserted one more finger to further prepare his young husband. Despite this not being their first time, Voldemort was always cautious whenever they had sex, scared that he might hurt Harry, who seemed so small and delicate as he lay under him like that.

"Are you ready, Harry?" Voldemort whispered, while he lightly kissed the corner of Harry's eye. Receiving only an impatient thrust of the hips, Voldemort promptly took the hint.

They both moaned deeply as the older man slowly pushed inside, and Voldemort had to restrain himself from loosing himself there and then. When Harry gave him a shaky nod, he pulled out again until just the tip was inside, before he slammed back in, making Harry cry out in a mixture of both pleasure and pain, and he wrapped his arms around Voldemort's back, scraping his fingernails across the man's ribcage. However, Voldemort neither noticed nor cared. He was too far lost in the intense feeling of being inside Harry, of feeling the muscles clench around his dick, to see those glorious green eyes light up with pleasure every time he thrust into him…

It didn't take either of them long to reach their climax, Harry coming just seconds before Voldemort did. The Dark Lord collapsed next to his young husband, drawing him into his arms and softly placing a kiss on the unruly mop of black hair.

"Harry, I love you." He whispered softly, almost inaudibly.

Harry, who had almost dozed off, stiffened and his seemed to widen almost comically. Though he had known for a long time the extent of Voldemort's feelings, he had never expected the man to ever commit to acknowledge that he could feel an emotion such as love. Voldemort, who had used to scorn anything and everything that could be counted as love, had now finally admitted, both to himself and to Harry, that he was now able to face up to his own emotions and embrace them, no matter if they might be seen as a weakness or flaw. They both now knew that love, whatever pain it might bring, was stronger than anything and that whatever trials they might face in the future, they would stand side by side and face it all together.

"I love you too, Tom." Harry whispered, snuggling deeper into the embrace.

* * *

Awwwww! I can't help but be über-creepily fluffy at the end of my stories... It's just... It's just so CUTE! How can I not?! And also, everyone loves a happy ending, so it's all good ;)

Hope you all enjoyed and thanks so much for sticking with this story!


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